Zooto Lore
by amythis
Summary: While Nick and Judy deal with reactions to their new relationship, they take on a new case: protecting the author of a controversial book. This story is a sequel to "Welcome to Shangri-Paw." Note that there is no plot or action as such, mostly just talking, thinking, and hanging out.
1. The Man & the Lion

It all depends on the point of view, and who tells the story. —Aesop

.

As they walked home on Friday, he said, "Well, that had to be the world's most awkward baby shower."

"Maternity leave party," she corrected him.

"What's the difference?"

"Males aren't usually invited to a baby shower. And showers are usually given closer to the birth, while Francine has almost two years to go."

"I stand corrected. That had to be the world's most awkward maternity leave party."

She sighed. "Yeah."

"And speaking of awkward, what time do your folks expect us?"

"I told them we'd be there in time for dinner."

"Carrot casserole?"

"Nick."

"Just teasing, Carrots." He kissed her cheek.

She tried to ignore the animals who either turned and stared or averted their eyes. It'd been a rough week, in a different way than the previous week.

…

On Monday they did their best to get back downtown as soon as possible, not lingering in the hotel as much as they'd have liked. But since her parking duty vehicle was so slow, it was 5:30 by the time they got to the ZPD Main Station.

When they went in, Clawhauser said, "Chief Bogo really wants to talk to you two!"

"Yeah, we heard," Nick said.

"Did he seem, how did he seem?"

"Well, he always seems mad, doesn't he? Even when he isn't."

She did not find that comforting.

When they were sitting in the chair on the other side of Bogo's desk, the Chief said, "You two certainly took your sweet time getting back."

"Well, Officer Hopps's meter maid car isn't the speediest vehicle on the force, is it?" Judy wished Nick wouldn't be so direct with their boss, although at least this time he didn't call it a "three-wheel joke-mobile."

"Is there a reason why you didn't accompany Officers McHorn and Trunkaby, as well as the suspects, back downtown, over three hours ago?"

"We had to run some errands in the Canal District, Sir," Nick answered smoothly.

"Uh huh."

"Sir, in all fairness, you did grant Nick bereavement leave."

"Yes, and then you two came back here and said you'd cracked the case. So, silly me, I assumed your leave was over."

"We've been working since last Monday, Sir. Eight days in a row, with hardly any time off. And poor Nick is exhausted."

"Uh huh."

She blushed. "I mean, he did almost drown yesterday."

"True. How about I give you both time off? Permanently."

"Wait, you're firing us for cracking a case?"

Nick looked much less upset. "Sir, won't that lead to awkward questions at the press conference?"

Now Bogo looked uncomfortable.

"Press conference?" Judy asked Nick.

"Think about it, Fl—Judy. This big, messy case, finally solved, although still with lots of unexplained details. The chief has to have called a press conference." Nick glanced at his phone. "And it's almost time for the six o'clock news. He's going to chew us out for a couple minutes for using police funds to stay in a seedy CD hotel, like all those mixed couples that Finn and her gang were making money off of, and if word gets out about this it'll ruin the reputation of the ZPD. And he'll say that he's tempted to just credit McHorn and Trunkaby with the arrest and leave our names out of it. You'll apologize and beg for another chance, and he'll let us off with a warning, just in time for us to go out there and meet the press."

Bogo snorted. "You think you're so clever, don't you, Wilde?"

"Well, I have been called that once or twice, Sir."

Bogo shook his head. "This isn't over. But go brush your fur and straighten your uniforms. I want you to look presentable."

"Thank you, Sir," Judy said.

"Oh, and, uh, I don't have to tell you two not to 'come out,' do I?"

"Well, we'd like to call her parents first."

"Nick!" she scolded.

This time Bogo's snort sounded almost like a laugh.

The press conference was OK. Much better than her first one of course. She let Nick do most of the talking, and he was a complete natural. He did the "answer their question with your own" thing and was generally smooth and confident.

"Was I OK?" she asked him afterwards.

He smiled. "You were great. So enthusiastic and determined."

She hadn't felt that way to herself, but she was pleased that she had come across that way.

There weren't any really difficult questions, not like last time. She didn't feel like she was stirring up a species riot, although she was a little concerned when one reporter asked, "But isn't this typical Canal District corruption? I mean, doesn't it come with the territory?"

She replied, "I don't consider multiple murders to be everyday, normal corruption."

She knew that the CD already had a bad reputation, but she didn't want to make it worse. And maybe with this case solved, especially with Magawitz removed as District Manager, things would improve.

No one seemed to pick up on Nick and Judy being a couple. She deliberately tried not to stand too close to him, even though they were sharing a microphone. There was a reporter who said with a leer, "Well, everyone knows why animals go to the Canal District."

But Nick calmly replied, "Yes, for boating, swimming, and surfing. Not drowning."

When they were back at Nick's apartment, cuddling in his bed, whispering to each other, she said, "I felt like they'd look at us and see that we're a couple."

"Why? Because we're a male and a female?"

"No, I mean because we are a couple."

Nick shrugged. "Yeah, but us being different species will blind some animals. They'll think that such a thing can't exist because they think it shouldn't exist."

"Yes, but to others, that makes it something dirty. Something that should be hidden in the CD."

He sighed. "Yeah. You know this isn't a naughty little fling, don't you, Fluff?"

"Of course, Nick. We love each other."

He kissed her ear. "Yeah. But to the outside world, well, it's gonna be tough."

"Yes. Do you think we should be quiet about it? I mean, we are also co-workers."

"Workplace romances are a different kind of taboo."

"Yes. I mean, you know I love my job. This is what I've wanted to do since I was nine."

"Of course, Sweetheart."

"I also love you. I want both."

"We'll work it out."

"I hope so."

That was of course the moment that her parents called.


	2. The Gnat & the Bull

We are often of greater importance in our own eyes than in the eyes of our neighbor. —Aesop

.

He tried not to laugh as Judy leapt out of his bed. "Going somewhere?" he asked.

"Nick, I have to take this call, and I can't let them know I'm in your apartment."

"How are they going to know it's my place rather than yours?"

"I have plushies on my bed."

"Oh, darn, I forgot to pack mine when I moved in last week."

She shook her head. "I'll come right back after I talk to them."

"So I don't get to join in the Muzzletime?"

"Not yet." She kissed his cheek and ran back to her apartment, the phone still ringing. Then he heard her voice through the wall, "And please don't say anything they can overhear."

"Oh, all right," said Bucky.

"We can't even have a conversation among ourselves?" Pronk complained.

Nick chuckled quietly.

Then Judy shushed all three of them and must've touched her phone because the ringing stopped. "Hi, Mom and Dad."

Nick put his ear to the wall so he wouldn't miss anything.

"Judith, we saw you on the six o'clock news."

"Gee, that's great, Mom." Nick could picture her big fake smile.

"Um, Jude the Dude, you told us you were in the Rainforest District this weekend."

"Well, I was. Briefly."

"And, Young Lady, you said you had the weekend off. And now we find out you were uncovering corruption and murder in the Canal District!"

"Well, I wasn't supposed to talk about the case till we, I mean I cracked it."

"Uh huh." Nick could picture the skeptical look on Mrs. Hopps's face, probably a lot like Judy's skeptical look. "And is that Nick Wilde your partner 'Nicky'?"

"Well, yes."

"Judy, you made us think he was a girl!"

"No, Mom, I just didn't tell you he's male."

Mr. Hopps said, "And he's a, well, he's not prey."

"Yes, OK, he's a fox. But, Dad, you play cribbage with a weasel."

"And he cheats like the dickens."

"And you work with Gideon Grey."

"Yes, Dear, but we're not…."

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Well, I saw the way you looked at him during the press conference."

"You did?"

"And the way your ears stood straight up when he was talking."

Nick hadn't noticed, but he'd been focusing on the reporters and photographers.

"Judy, I know you're a big girl now and you've got your own life you live in the City, but you're still our little girl. And it's one thing to be friends with a fox and another to…."

"Yes, Dad?"

"Judy, I'm sure he's a very nice young mammal, but, well, for one thing, have you considered—?"

"Oh, Mom, please don't go there!"

"—you'll never be able to have kits together?"

"Sweet cheese and crackers, Mom!"

"Oo, she played the grandmother card!"

"Pronk, not now!"

"Who's Pronk?" Mr. Hopps asked.

"My eavesdropping neighbor. Well, one of them."

Nick stifled a chuckle.

"Nick's not a bad guy, Mr. and Mrs. Hopps," Bucky chimed in. "Sarcastic as heck, but you get used to it."

"Judith, you have incredibly thin walls for the kind of rent you're paying."

"You want me to come over and insulate 'em?"

"No, thank you, Dad."

Her mother asked, "Judy, are you two an item?"

"Me and Pronk?"

"No, Dear, you and Nick."

"Well, yes."

"And you didn't tell us when you visited the weekend before last?"

"We weren't an item yet."

Her dad said, "Don't you think this is moving kind of fast?"

"Yes, Dear, you've never had a serious boyfriend before. And I can see how you might be attracted to Nick. The bad boy type. And he's very handsome for a fox."

"Bonnie!"

"Stu, I'm just trying to see it from her perspective."

"Mom, Dad, listen. Nick and I are in love."

"You weren't even dating a week ago!"

"Yeah, Mom, OK. But he was my best friend a week ago, and for weeks before that."

"Sometimes when a male and a female are friends, they can mistake their closeness for other feelings."

"Yes, thank you, Mom."

Nick cleared his throat. "So, Mr. and Mrs. Hopps, good to meet you."

"Jude, is he in your apartment?"

Judy sighed. "He's in the room next door. The one Bucky and Pronk don't live in."

"You're living together?"

"No, Dad. I mean, not like that. We're neighbors."

"Jude, I think you'd better come home."

"Dad, I'm grown up. You can't just make me move back."

"No, I meant both of you."

"Both of us?"

Her mother sighed. "Your father's right. You two had better come visit us over the weekend."

"Um, thanks, Mom, Dad."

"Yeah, thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Hopps. What should I pack?"

"Overalls would probably be best."

"Dad, don't tease him."

"Who's teasing? The County Fair is this weekend."

"Yes, we've got a booth and everything."

"We could use an extra set of paws."

"Dad, Nick is a city boy. He's not exactly agriculturally inclined."

"Don't be silly, Fluff. You know I love produce."

"Bonnie, he calls her 'Fluff.' "

"Is that sweet or condescending?"

"I'm not sure."

"It's sort of both."

"Shut up, Pronk!"

"Well, we'd better go. Judith, we'll text you later in the week."

"No taking on any big cases in the meantime, OK, Jude the Dude?"

"I'll try, Dad."

The Hoppses all said goodnight to each other. Nick was tempted to join in but this time resisted, as did the Antler Boys. But as soon as Judy said, "You guys…," Pronk asked, "So is that a hopeful sign that they want to meet him?"

"It could be. On the other hand, they may figure the best way to sink the relationship is to have him face her ginormous family."

"Guys, please, it's difficult enough dealing with my family without—"

"You don't have to tell us."

"Yeah, Pronk's mom was even worse than yours."

"I didn't think it would be that big a deal. OK, so we're different species. It's not like we're that different."

"Yeah, we both have antlers and hooves."

As Bucky and Pronk continued, Nick could picture Judy with her head in her paws. He slipped next door and silently picked her up. She nestled against him and he carried her back to his bed, where they could have some relative privacy.


	3. The Farmer & the Stork

You are judged by the company you keep. —Aesop

.

"My husband and I talked about this for a long while. After all, two years is a long time. It'd be different if we were shrews. Or rabbits. No offense, Judy."

"None taken." Judy tried to keep smiling.

They were at the maternity leave party and Francine was talking with Theda, the polar bear who'd trained Judy and Nick at the Academy. Judy was on the periphery of the girl-talk, since she was unmarried and the two larger animals were discussing combining family and a career.

"Of course, I guess that's not really an issue for you anymore," Francine said with a wink.

"Hm?"

"Well, if you and Nick end up being serious, you're not exactly going to have lots of babies, are you?"

"I never planned to have lots of babies."

"Wait, you and Wilde? You're dating the fox?" Theda looked very surprised.

"Yes," Judy said defensively.

"O. M. Goodness, I am so happy for you two!" Clawhauser exclaimed, giving Judy a big hug.

"Um, thank you."

"And don't mind what Boaris Pigley says. He's just jealous that he doesn't have someone."

Judy was afraid to ask. She didn't know Pigley very well since he was on the night shift, but Nick had trained with him and really disliked him.

"I mean, I would totally marry Gazelle if she'd have me!"

"Nick and I aren't engaged."

"Yet. Let me know when you are, so I can throw you guys a party."

"Thanks, Clawhauser."

And meanwhile Bogo was glaring at her and Nick, even though they were trying to keep their distance from each other and mingle. The Chief had dropped enough hints all week about how unprofessional he thought they were being. It wasn't like they were making out in their cruiser or anything. But apparently the way they looked at each other was enough to create rumors.

They'd asked to have the rest of the day off after Francine's party and Bogo had agreed. They didn't tell him that the reason they wanted to start the weekend early was so that they could take the train to Bunnyburrow. Bogo seemed relieved that they would be gone, although it probably wouldn't kill the gossip.

Judy would've been glad of the break from the tension at work, but it wasn't like they wouldn't have to deal with reactions to their relationship where they were going. She wouldn't take Nick to visit her family if she could possibly avoid it. She just wanted to get the worst part over with.

"Carrots, you want to go to the observation car?"

"Yeah, I guess," she said listlessly.

"Come on, Fluff, this will be fun."

"Fun!"

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to my weekend in Podunk."

She knew he was trying to cheer her up by annoying her, but she just rolled her eyes and said, "Come on, let's go to the observation car."

It was hard not to look at the scenery and remember her train ride in the opposite direction months ago. She'd been so excited about going to the City she'd dreamed of all her life, having the career she'd dreamed of, too. That self seemed impossibly young and cheerful, looking back. Not that her life had turned out badly by any means, but adulthood had proved to be far more complicated than she'd realized. Yes, she was already 24 when she moved to the City, but her years at Harevard had been sheltered ones, still living at home, and even at the Police Academy she hadn't really had to grow up.

"All this open space, I still can't get over it!" Nick marveled.

"City boy," she teased.

He smiled and took her paw.

She felt more self-conscious about public affection than she had when they weren't officially a couple. Before, he'd been the one to draw back from touch, even when they were alone, like on the sky-tram after he told her the Ranger Scouts story. She came from a big, close-knit, emotional family and it'd felt natural to her to touch him in little ways, before it definitely meant something. Now that she felt like everyone was watching them, it was hard for her to act naturally in public.

She didn't want to be like this. She wanted to enjoy her relationship with Nick. But unfortunately they didn't live in a bubble.

A coati family passed through the observation car. The kids wanted to look out the windows, but the father said, "We'll come back later," and the mother muttered, "In public!"

After they left, Nick said, "I think I'm going to swoon! Shameless paw-holding! There ought to be a law!"

Judy couldn't laugh.

"Fluff Darlin', you can't let them get to you."

"I'm sorry, Nick, it's just I'm not used to it."

He nodded. "Yeah, the kind of prejudice you've faced, it's been about you being too little and cute to do anything important. You haven't had animals refusing you service or treating you like a savage predator."

She winced. "Nick."

He kissed her paw. "You know I've forgiven you for that. But what I meant was, you don't have much or any experience with being treated like trash. I do. So this may end up being less of an adjustment for me than for you."

She nodded. "That makes sense."

"Of course, I may be unprepared for the glares of 277 rabbits who think I'm corrupting their sweet, innocent daughter and sister."

"Not 277."

"Oh, right. I left out your grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins."

"No, I mean some of my brothers and sisters will be understanding." She hoped.

"Yeah, which ones?"

She didn't have to answer because a wolf family came in then. At first, they didn't seem to even notice Nick and Judy. They were just excited about the scenery, so excited that they howled. Judy and Nick smiled at each other.

"How far away is Bunnyburrow, Dad?"

"Well, Peter, it's 211 miles from the City, and we've probably covered about a quarter of that, so another roughly 150."

"Hey, Lady, are you from Bunnyburrow?" asked the little wolf girl.

Judy smiled. "Yes, I am."

"Is it just for bunnies?"

"It's mostly rabbits but anyone can visit or live there."

"We're going to the County Fair!" the wolf boy, Peter, said.

Judy could see how eager they were. They were probably city children like Nick once was and had never been out in the country. She realized he hadn't been joking earlier. After all, he hadn't really been outside of the City much. She knew that cadets at the Academy weren't allowed to explore the surrounding countryside. This would be a new experience for Nick. And she would get to show him all her favorite old places.

"We're going, too. I can't wait," Nick said.

She smiled at him and tried not to worry if her whole face was lighting up. Judging from the indulgent expression on the wolf mother's face, it was.


	4. The Fox & the Goat

Look before you leap. —Aesop

.

As they pulled into the Bunnyburrow Train Station, Nick braced himself for the sight of Judy's sprawling family. Maybe it wouldn't be all 277+ of them, since from what she'd told him, not every single one of them had been able to see her off when she moved to the big city, but there would have to be at least a few dozen, right?

At first the yellow and pink building, with decorations of rabbit ears and carrots, seemed to be deserted. Then he saw two taxi drivers waiting, and the coati and wolf families soon greeted them. No one else got off the train besides Nick and Judy. The rest of the passengers must've been continuing on to the other Burrows.

"Uh, Fluff..."

Judy didn't reply to him. Instead she cried, "Warrior! Boss!" And then she ran over to her family's truck, the one she'd arrived in when he was living under a bridge and she wanted to apologize. He followed and saw two female rabbits get out of the truck, one a little girl who might be a kindergartner or a bit older and the other a very pregnant female around Judy's age.

"Oh, it's so good to see you guys!" She reached down and picked up the little rabbit, spinning her around till she giggled.

"Dude, you're not in your uniform."

Judy set down the little rabbit and spoke to the other female. "I know, Warrior, but we're not supposed to wear it when we're not on duty. I took selfies though."

"Great, I can show you all the pics Lyle's been taking of me."

Judy laughed. "Well, I don't blame him, Gloria. You're as big as a house!"

"Yeah, the mid-dam says it's probably going to be dodecatuplets this time."

"Wow!"

Nick felt better about looking surprised if twelve at once sounded like a lot to Judy, too.

The little girl giggled. "I know where babies come from."

"Really, Stoss?"

"Yeah, from being married. But Mama says that if you marry the fox—"

"OK, enough about that," Gloria/Warrior interrupted. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Oh, yes, sorry. Girls, this is Nick Wilde, my, um." She hesitated. He was her boyfriend, and everybody knew he was her boyfriend, but Nick knew she wasn't used to calling him that.

"Reason for living?" he suggested.

Judy rolled her eyes and the other two females— sisters? cousins?— laughed.

"Stoss and Gloria, right?"

Judy said, "This is one of my favorite baby sisters, Anastasia, or Stoss the Boss as Dad says."

"I'm six."

"I'm thirty-two. Nice to meet you." Nick shook Stoss's hand, making the little girl giggle again.

"And this is Gloria the Warrior, my quintuplet."

"Shouldn't there be five of you?"

"There are," Gloria said, "but we were the only two girls in that batch."

Gloria looked a lot like Judy, same gray fur, same big purple eyes, same height, including ears. In a way, Nick felt like he was looking at parallel-universe Judy. He wondered if this was what her life would've been like if she'd never gone to the City. She'd have married young, had a dozen or more kits already. But he couldn't picture her staying down on the farm. She wouldn't be Judy if she hadn't wanted to be a big city police officer. Still, he wondered if there was a part of her that envied her sister being a mother.

Judy looked around. "So where is everybody else?"

"We didn't want to scare off your boyfriend," said Gloria.

Stoss giggled and said, "Not till he gets to the house."

Nick wasn't sure if they were kidding.

Then Gloria gave him a quick hug and grabbed his suitcase. She tossed it into the back of the truck as if it were no strain at all. Judy tossed her own luggage in next to his. The three sisters quickly piled into the cab of the truck, Gloria in the driver's seat, Stoss sitting on Judy's lap. Then they looked at him as if wondering what was taking him so long.

He shook his head and climbed into the right side of the cab. As he shut the door, he said, "So there are over a hundred more of you girls?"

"One hundred forty. In this generation." Gloria patted her stomach, representing the next generation of Hoppses.

"I think I'm already scared."

The three sisters laughed.

Gloria started up the truck as Nick buckled up. If her driving was anything like Judy's, he wanted to be as safe as possible. It was a bit bumpy once they got on the dirt roads, which made him worry a little about her twelve internal passengers, although none of the Hopps sisters looked concerned.

"So it's going to be kind of crowded," Gloria said, driving with one hand, "since the Sarge is bringing her brood home for the Fair."

Nick quirked an eyebrow. "The Sarge?"

"Yeah, Marge the Sarge," Judy said.

"Our oldest sister," Gloria explained.

"She's bossier than me," Anastasia declared.

"She's about your age, Nick," Judy told him, "but with one hundred kits."

"One hundred and eleven," Gloria corrected her.

"I didn't even know she was pregnant!" Judy exclaimed.

"She doesn't even tell us anymore. She lives in Haresburg, so we don't see her every week," Gloria explained to Nick.

"I have niblings who are older than me," Stoss said.

"Nibblings?"

"With one B," Judy told Nick. "You know, nieces and nephews."

"Ah, right." It wasn't exactly a term he'd had much use for in his life, being the only cub of only cubs. But if he married Judy, he was probably looking at niblings in the quadruple digits.

"Anyway," Gloria said, "she had the kits a couple days ago and she's annoyed that I'm beating her record, like I intentionally aimed for a dozen."

"How do you—?"

"Later, Stossy. Anyway, they're all coming, but with everyone from Duck down to Cavy, and most of the college kits, not coming home, we won't be as packed as we could be."

"Duck? Cavy?"

"Buck the Duck, our oldest brother. He's the best swimmer," Judy informed Nick. "And Davy the Cavy."

Stoss giggled. "Daddy says he looks like a guinea pig!"

"And he acts like one," Gloria said darkly.

"He'll try anything once," Judy explained.

"He tried to fly last week," Stoss reported.

"Again?" Judy sighed.

"Anyway, the only ones who aren't staying over in the dorms are Hammer and Binky."

"Oh, great! Those are my two favorites from that batch," Judy told Nick.

"Hammer and Binky?"

"Pammer the Hammer, or Pamela to people who haven't been raised on Dad's nicknames," Gloria said.

"And Binky is a nickname for what?" Nick asked. "Stinky? Pinky? Twinkie?"

"No, Binky for binkying."

"Binky is a verb?"

"You haven't told Nick about binkying?" Gloria teased Judy.

"Um, well." Judy was blushing.

"It's like this." Anastasia wriggled out of Judy's arms and jumped into the air, kicking out her hind legs.

Judy grabbed her as Gloria said, "Not in the truck, Sugarlump."

"We do it when we're extremely happy," Judy told Nick.

"And Nick hasn't seen it?" Gloria teased. "Mr. Wilde, are you failing to make my sister extremely happy?"

Judy blushed pinker as Nick put one paw in the air and the other paw over his heart. "I plead the Fifth."

"The fifth what?" Stoss asked.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Judy said. "Why don't we be quiet so Nick can enjoy the scenery?"

It was mostly smooth, green fields and rolling, green hills, and he'd had a better view from the train, but he smiled at her and then looked out the window the rest of the way to the Hopps House.


	5. The Fox & the Pheasants

Too much attention to danger may cause us to fall victims to it. —Aesop

.

It felt longer than two weeks since she'd been home. It wasn't home that had changed, other than new niblings of course. She was the one that had changed so much. Also, she kept wondering how all this would look through Nick's eyes. He seemed to be coping OK so far, but then he'd only met two members of her family and both seemed to like him.

She heard Nick murmur, "Right into the side of the hill."

She'd forgotten that he wouldn't take that feature of rabbit architecture for granted. The fronts of the houses were exposed to the elements but there was a reason why this was called Bunnyburrow. As a rabbit family expanded, the parents would add more rooms inside the hill that their home was against, and sometimes enlarge the existing rooms. Judy's family was huge even by rabbit standards, with her mother bearing an average of ten kits a year for twenty-eight years. Yes, over half of them had moved out, but everyone except Judy lived locally, so they dropped by fairly often, and sometimes slept over. It wasn't like her parents were experiencing the empty warren syndrome yet.

Certainly when the younger kits poured out of the house as the truck pulled up, there were more rabbits than Nick had ever seen at once, if his wide eyes were any indication. She could see that he was trying to count them, and probably worrying over how he was going to remember everyone's names. Nick had a good memory and claimed to know everyone, but even he was going to find this a challenge.

As soon as Gloria stopped the truck but before she set the parking brake, Stoss climbed out of Judy's arms, over Nick, and out his rolled-down window. "Judy's back!" she announced to their siblings, as if they hadn't figured that out. The bunnies cheered.

"Quite the celebrity, aren't you?" Nick teased.

"Oh, we all love Judy," Gloria said casually, as if everyone should. She eased herself out of the truck with a groan. It was the first time Judy had seen her this pregnant. Her quint had been one week along when Judy returned to the City with the solution to the Night Howlers puzzle, and Gloria had quints of her own while Nick was at the Academy and Judy was impatiently waiting for him to return as her partner. It made Judy feel like Gloria was years older than her, rather than minutes.

"Well, what's not to love?" Nick teased once they were alone in the truck's cab. But of course they weren't really alone. There were dozens of witnesses in the front yard.

They had talked a little about how much affection was OK in front of her family. Paw-holding, light hugs, maybe pecks on the cheek or even lips if they and her relatives seemed comfortable. But that was all. They could cuddle and kiss in his apartment, but this weekend he would be sharing a room with several of her brothers. She suddenly had the feeling they'd be lucky if they had a chance to talk alone. Well, it was only for one weekend.

"Ready?" he asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Yeah, are you?"

He shrugged. "They're just itty-bitty cute little bunny rabbits."

"Uh huh."

She got out of the cab on the driver's side while Nick stepped down out the other door. Her brothers and sisters engulfed in her in a massive group hug. Nick was on the edge of the crowd, looking down at them in amusement.

"I missed you, Judy!"

"Is that Nick?"

"O. M. Goodness, Judy, he's cute!"

"Yeah, for a fox."

"Will he bite us?"

"Why didn't you bring your police car?"

"You looked pretty on the news."

"You're a total bad-tail!"

"Are you gonna solve more crimes together?"

"Are you gonna get married?"

"Will your kits be boxes or funnies?"

"OK, guys, enough," said Gloria. "Let the poor girl breathe."

Some of the crowd of their siblings then climbed into the back of the truck, where they squabbled over who would get to carry in the luggage. Nick grinned at Judy.

Wading through a sea of her family, Judy led Nick towards the front door.

"I like how rounded everything is. The doors and the windows and even the frames."

She nodded. It was something that struck her on her last visit, after so long in the City, where architecture was less cozy in the various districts, even Little Rodentia, which was more linear, especially all those brownstones.

"Mom's probably in the kitchen," Gloria said, popping up next to them.

"OK, thanks." So this was it. She was about to introduce her big-city, somewhat older, reformed con-fox boyfriend to her old-fashioned mother. The thing was, she would've guessed that her father would've had more of an issue with Nick. He was the one that tried to get her to take the fox taser! And fathers tend to be more protective of their daughters, especially when it comes to boyfriends. It wasn't that her father seemed totally OK with this relationship, but he seemed more OK with it than her mother.

Judy had been thinking about the reasons off and on the last few days, and she thought it had a lot to do with her mother having her life centered on home and children. Not that her father didn't, but he wasn't the one who had given birth 280 times. (A few of the older kits had succumbed to myxomatosis, but a 99% survival rate was impressive for a rabbit family.) It was hard for Judy's mother to accept that her daughter wanted a dangerous career, especially one that, even with a bunny husband, would mean probably only a batch or two of kits. And then along came a charming fox who swept this daughter off her paws, probably eliminating the possibility of a bunny husband, and thus kits of her own. Never mind that some of Judy's sisters and a few of her brothers were supplying more than enough grandkits already. Her mother likely felt that Judy couldn't be happy without kits of her own.

Before she met Nick, marriage and motherhood were off in the hazy distance. Judy had never had a serious boyfriend, partly because her energy was focused on her career plans, and partly because no one had understood her as thoroughly as Nick did. She supposed she'd probably get married, but she was only 24 and there was no rush. Even now that she had fallen in love with Nick, she wasn't eager to get married. She needed to adjust to the change from a platonic to a romantic relationship, what this meant for the two of them, and unfortunately what it meant for everyone else. She was realizing this week that everyone had an opinion on what should be a personal, private matter. Getting married, if they eventually did, would make this even more intense.

So whether or not she became a mother was still something far off and hazy, even if it seemed to be at the forefront of many animals' minds. If she and Nick stayed together for years, and if they felt like they were ready to be parents, then they could adopt. Yes, she might like to have children that looked like Nick, but biology didn't work that way. As Gideon would say, it wasn't in their dunna.

"Wow!" Nick breathed.

Judy looked around and tried to see it through his eyes again. Once they were past the entryway, they came to the big open space of the dining area, with the ceiling that went up to the underside of the top of the hill. Stairs and balconies haphazardly led the eye upward, although there had been a method to Stu Hopps's madness. Some of her siblings sat on the balconies, reading or playing with their phones or chatting, although these activities stopped as they cried, "It's Judy! And her boyfriend!" Then they raced down the stairs.

The tide of rabbits swept them into the kitchen, where her mother and some of the middle kits were getting dinner ready.

"Oh, Judy!" Her mom gave her a one-armed hug, still stirring the enormous stewpot. "You got here sooner than I expected."

"We were able to take an earlier train."

"Oh." Mrs. Hopps looked at Nick, and then smoothed her apron and ears.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet Nick."

Her mother hesitated and then gave the stranger a one-armed hug. "Welcome to our chaotic home."

"I think it's great," Nick said, "Such cheerful colors."

"Thank you. I like pastels."

"It's like Easter year-round."

Judy shot Nick a look, pleading with him not to be sarcastic to her mother.

But Mrs. Hopps said, "That's what I like to think. Judy, why don't you take Nick on a quick tour of the farm?"

"Oh, OK. Come on, Nick."

She was going to use the truck, to save time, but several dozen of her siblings wanted to go with them, and they had to go on foot. So it wasn't just her pointing things out but many of her brothers and sisters telling Nick about the farm. He took it in stride, asking questions of her and the others about what grew where and how.

Eventually they came to the field where her father and some of her other siblings were working. This was it. The rabbit who had given her the Fox Away that had helped to scare away the fox she didn't want to lose was about to meet that fox.

But a very different fox pulled up just then.


	6. The Lion & the Donkey

Do not resent the remarks of a fool. Ignore them. —Aesop

.

Nick had already lost track of how many of Judy's brothers and sisters he'd seen, and these were only the ones who lived at home. She hadn't told him any of the names after Gloria and Stoss, but he knew that it would be a challenge to remember them when he did hear them. He had a good memory, his "I've forgotten your name, Darlin' " just an early tease of Judy because he'd seen how easily irritated she was. (Not as effective as slinging in the camel joke at just the right moment in Flash's typing.) He wondered if Judy's father's habit of nicknaming every kit would be a good mnemonic device, or if that would make it twice as hard

And now he was about to meet that patriarch. Meeting the matriarch had been a little anti-climatic. Not that he had been expecting her to throw pots and pans or yell, "You sneaky fox, how dare you aspire to my daughter!" He hoped he'd made a good impression, praising the interior decorating, although for some reason that had seemed to annoy Judy. With the father, he supposed praising the farm, which did look nice and productive as far as Nick could tell, was the way to go.

But as they approached Mr. Hopps, who had his back to them, Nick heard a honk. He turned and saw a pink van pull up. Ah, Gideon Grey, the pie-fox.

Judy's father also turned at the sound of the honk. "Hey, Jude the Dude! You're here just in time. Can you and your, um, friend help Gid unload the pies?"

"Yeah, sure, Dad."

Nick wondered why a few of the dozens of bunnies surrounding them couldn't do it, but he didn't argue. He figured it would look good if he pitched in.

Judy led him around to the driver's side of the van as Mr. Grey stepped out. "Um, Gideon, I'd like you to meet Nick Wilde."

The stocky baker was wearing a pink apron with a cute, happy pie on it. It was hard to imagine him as the menacing bully of one of Judy's worst memories. But then who looking at Nick would see the idealistic little cub who'd tried to join the Junior Ranger Scouts?

"This the fella you've teamed up with in the big city, huh?" Gideon had a Foxville accent, like Nick's late grandparents on his father's side. Foxville used to be a grand little city, with its own king. The way Nick's grandmother told the story, the ladies wore gowns woven with brightly colored feathers, while the soldiers wore green jackets, yellow trousers, and round caps and high boots in red. The marble houses had balconies and porches, with bird decorations everywhere. Then during the time of King Renard IV (Nanna was a little vague on exactly when that was), the birds, who were evolving into full sapience, rebelled and the economy crumbled. Nick was never sure how much of Nanna's stories were true, and how many were just bedtime stories of glory days for foxes, but he'd found them comforting when he was little and already being picked on for being a shifty, untrustworthy predator.

"Yes, we're partners," Judy said after some hesitation.

"Boy, I never thought I'd live to see the day when there'd be not only bunny cops but fox cops."

"Well, just the two of us so far," Nick said.

"Good to meet you," Gideon said, shaking his paw. Nick wondered if the paw he was holding was the one that had scratched Judy's cheek, while Gideon gloated, as Judy had tearfully told Nick fifteen years later, "I want you to remember this moment the next time you think you will ever be anything more than just a stupid, carrot-farming, dumb bunny!" No wonder Nick had made her so angry. His put-downs of Judy, "podunk" and "Kumbaya" and all that, couldn't have been more on target if he'd witnessed the bullying. But he liked to think if he had somehow been there, at seventeen and very street-wise, he would've stood up for her, the way Finnick had stood up for him when Nick was first on his own and homeless at age twelve.

"Yeah, you, too, Buddy," Nick said, squeezing Gideon's paw just a little too hard.

"Hey, Judy, your boyfriend here's got a nice firm grip."

"Thanks," Nick said, letting go.

"Um, Gideon, can we help you unload the pies?"

"Sure thing," Gideon said as they moved around to the back of the van. "You like berries, Wilde?"

"Love 'em."

"Yeah, me, too. That's how I started baking. I'd come round to the Hopps Farm and buy their berries. They grow the best produce in Bunnyburrow, you know."

"Yeah, I know. Their blueberries are great."

"You don't have to tell me," Gideon said, opening the back of the van. He handed Nick a pie, and Nick passed it along to Judy, not knowing what else to do with it. Some of her siblings formed a bucket brigade that seemed to stretch back to the house and soon pies were flowing out of the van like an assembly line. Nick realized that teamwork was probably a big part of rabbit life.

Gideon continued, "Well, my Granny had some recipes for berry pies. And I tried my paw at them. At first it seemed like kind of a sissy hobby, and my best friend Travis made fun of me. Till he ate a slice of raspberry. Then he encouraged me to go pro. But I needed a good deal on the fruit of course. And who was gonna trust a fox, you know?"

"I know," Nick said quietly.

"Then, well, you know Judy. Always a dreamer who believed anybody can be anything."

"She encouraged you?"

"Nah, she didn't even know. She was off in the big city by then. But I guess she had a good influence on her folks, because they agreed to be partners."

"Just like that?"

"Well, no. Mr. Hopps was, well, he's a good guy, but he's got his prejudices. Heck, I guess we all do when it comes down to it. But he agreed to try it. And it's worked out real well for all of us."

"I'm glad."

"Heck, foxes and bunnies make pretty good teams, don't they, Wilde?" Gideon elbowed Nick in the ribs, almost making Nick drop the last pie.

"Yeah, I guess they do." Nick smiled at Judy, who was blushing a little.

"Not that I'd want to date one of Judy's sisters, cute as they are. I mean, that's goin' against nature."

"Gideon!" Judy gasped and her siblings stared at him.

"Well, it's true, Judy. Now I'm not judgin' you. I know things are different in the big city. And you're already a rebel, being a bunny cop and all that. And obviously I know how attractive foxes are." He chuckled. "But when it comes time for you to settle down, well, you'll find a nice buck you can have lots of kits with, and Nick'll find hisself a nice vixen to have his own family with. You two know this is just for fun, right?"

Nick was tempted to throw the pie in Gideon's face, and Judy's right foot was thumping like crazy. The siblings' faces showed a mixture of shock, amusement, anger, and, on the youngest, confusion.

Before any of them could say anything, Judy's father came over and said, "Well, now that you've got acquainted, let's head back to the house. Gid, you staying for supper?"

"Uh, I don't think so, Mr. H," Gideon said, shutting the doors to the back of the van.

"OK, well, see you at the Fair tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you. Bye, Everybody." He got back in the van and drove off.

"Well, more food for us, huh, Kids?" Mr. Hopps said.

Most of his children smiled, but Judy didn't. Nick wanted to hold her paw or give her a hug, but he felt too self-conscious.

"So, Wilde?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"You didn't wear overalls like I told you."

"Maybe I can borrow a pair." Nick wasn't sure if Mr. Hopps was kidding, but he was willing to play along.

"Yeah, some of my sons are pretty tall. We'll take a look through the attic after dinner."

"Great."

Now Judy smiled.


	7. The Astrologer

Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves. —Aesop

.

"You eat in shifts?" Nick asked in surprise, looking at the chalkboard.

"Well," Judy said, "we don't have a table big enough for everyone."

"Listen, you guys are lucky you're getting in the third shift," said her brother Charlie, who was wearing his letterbun's sweater for Bunnyburrow High.

"Thanks. I'm Nick by the way."

"Yeah, I kind of figured. I'm Charlie."

"Charlie the Barley? Charlie the Snarly? Charlie the Gnarly?"

Judy smiled. "No, 'Charlie' is his nickname."

"Let me guess. For 'Charles'?"

"No, 'charlie' is a term for a rabbit with pale fur, circles around the eyes, and a little mustache marking like Charlie Chacma."

Her brother wriggled his mustache like the old film star.

"Ah, got it. So your real name is...?"

"Aloysius. You can see why I prefer 'Charlie.' "

Nick nodded. Then he murmured, "Gloria, Anastasia, Margie, Buck, Pamela, Davy, Jack, Charlie or Aloysius, Barry, Carrie, Gary, Harry, Jerry, Larry, Mary, Perry, Sherry, Terry, and Binky. What's Binky's real name again?"

Judy and Charlie looked at each other and then at Nick.

She said, "You know, I can never remember."

"Yeah, we all just call her Binky."

"OK, is that twenty names yet?" Nick asked.

"You left out Judy."

"Judy who?"

"Har har."

It felt good to talk casually like this. Nothing related to their relationship, other than Nick's ambition to memorize the names of his potential future in-laws. She was grateful to Charlie for not giving Nick the third degree. After hearing Gideon tell her that her involvement with Nick was unnatural, she wasn't sure if she could get through this weekend. On the way back to the house, Nick had whispered, "Fluff, it doesn't matter what idiots think."

But it did matter. What really got to her was that Gideon hadn't even intended to hurt her. It wasn't like when he mocked and bullied her when they were kids. He clearly thought he was helping them by talking what he thought was common sense. He probably also thought he was being open-minded and tolerant by seeing it as a bit of fun, rather than an abomination. If she married Nick, that would be a different matter.

The worst part, it wasn't that different from what her mother and maybe father thought. Judy and Nick weren't supposed to be a couple because they were from different species. They should be with their own kind. Never mind that she felt like she was more herself when she was with Nick.

She couldn't help wondering how many more animals they'd meet who thought that way. Rationally, she knew that minds could be only changed by seeing how happy she and Nick were, but it was hard to be happy when she had to deal with this. It wasn't always easy to be a pioneer.

"How about a tour of the house while we're waiting?" Nick suggested.

She nodded. She knew they wouldn't get a chance to talk privately, not with some of the littles tagging along, but it would be a good distraction.

The kids of course had to point out the features of every room, especially their own bedrooms.

"And this is my old room," Judy said when they got to it. "Obviously, the junior high girls have redecorated."

"Uh huh." Nick was looking at the Bun Furrection posters that had replaced Gloria's Justin Beaver and Judy's Catty Perry. And years before that, Margie and her batch had had the Mice Girls and Jackstreet Buns.

She wasn't sure where she'd be sleeping that night. Probably as far from Nick as her parents could put her.

"Where's the bathroom?" Nick asked.

"The nearest or the one with the shortest line?"

"Tell me you're kidding, Fluff."

"Sorry, no."

"I'll show you, Mister," said one of the nine-year-olds.

"Thanks, Kid."

"Malcolm."

Judy could see Nick adding that to his mental list. She'd teased him that he should use his phone, but it was a point of pride with him to keep it in his brain, like her sister Sandy, who could tell you the air-dates and voice casts of almost every animale ever made, from _Zoots Basket_ to _The Last Harebender_.

As soon as Malcolm led Nick towards the bathroom at the end of this hallway, where only three of her siblings were waiting in line and texting, the others clustered even closer, with more questions and comments about Nick than they'd dared ask in front of him, from what he ate and what teams he supported to what he and Judy did as police officers and where they went on dates.

"Guys, please, I know it's a big deal him being here—"

"He's really nice, Judy," said Brindlin.

"Yeah, I don't care what that old Gideon Gray says," declared Lop.

"He's a mean fox!" exclaimed Cobby. "Not like Nick."

"Look, Kids, I appreciate you being on my side. Our side. But Gideon didn't say those things to be mean. A lot of mammals think like that."

"Well, they're wrong," insisted Awny.

"Yeah!" shouted the crowd of littles.

Judy was touched by their support, but they didn't understand about adult relationships, or the prejudices that still existed. They had all been born when she was in high school and she had done her best to teach them her optimism and idealism. It felt strange to have these attitudes reflected back at her years later, when she had trouble staying positive anymore.

Gloria appeared and said, "OK, time for the second shift to eat." Most of the littles raced downstairs. Gloria pulled Judy aside as much as possible and whispered, "Hey, Jude, how are you holding up?"

Judy shrugged. "I guess you heard about Gideon."

"Yeah, but don't let it get to you so much."

"I'll try."

Gloria squeezed her arm and then let go and said, "Lyle can look after the babies again if you need to talk later."

"Thank you, Warrior."

"Of course." A couple babies cried and Gloria sighed. "That's the nursing cry. Gotta go."

"OK."

Then the remaining littles asked Judy if she and Nick would go on all the rides with them at the Fair. She didn't want to make any promises on his behalf, but she said she'd go on as many as she could. She was looking forward to the fair itself. It would do her good to act like a kit again, just have fun and not worry so much.

Some of the kits who ate during the first shift rushed up to her and Stoss asked, "Judy, will you watch _Floatzen_ with us tonight?"

"No, _The Amazing Spider-Monkey 2_!" insisted Bob.

The kits started squabbling over what movie to watch. Judy didn't really feel like watching anything. OK, part of her wanted to have them all gather in the family room with the cushy sofas and beanbags, eating fresh-popped popcorn and home-made candy, a Zoo-ray movie or two on their very-wide-screen TV. She wanted that coziness again, and she wanted to share it with Nick, who had had nothing like it in his childhood. But she would feel funny having this that night, when there were issues she hadn't worked out with her parents and probably wouldn't be able to right away. Wouldn't it be a lie to pretend that they were one big happy family and that Nick was fully accepted? OK, some of her siblings seemed fond of him already, but they were young and they loved everything about her. After all, they weren't the ones who had objected to her big-city police dreams.

Nick emerged from the bathroom and returned to them.

"Did you wash your hands?" asked Mary.

"Yeah, and I put the seat down, too."

Judy's brothers and sisters laughed. Judy shook her head but smiled.


	8. The Fisherman & the Little Fish

A small gain is worth more than a large promise. —Aesop

.

"More stew, Stu?" Mrs. Hopps offered.

Nick managed not to laugh. He was sure that in thirty-five years of marriage that had been said so many times that it didn't even sound like wordplay to Judy's parents anymore.

"Well, maybe another spoonful."

Mrs. Hopps poured a bit more into her husband's bowl, then asked, "Nick?"

"Yes, thank you. It's very good." It was. He wasn't just saying that to be polite, although he was trying to be on his best behavior. It occurred to him that he hadn't really met any of his girlfriends' parents before, not like this. He'd mostly dated very independent vixens who weren't anywhere near as close to their parents as Judy was, certainly not enough to bring Nick home for inspection.

"Thank you, Nick. We use our own vegetables of course."

He nodded as she ladled more into his bowl. He could taste carrots, potatoes, cucumbers, celery, and garlic.

Most of the conversation had been the kits talking about school, and if Judy's parents had questions for Nick, they were clearly holding off.

One of the junior high kits now said, "Mom, Dad, may we be excused so we can watch _Bugs' Burgers_?"

Mrs. Hopps said, "Yes, but do your homework right after."

"Mom, it's Friday!" whined another junior high kit.

"Yes, and you're going to be distracted by the fair the rest of the weekend."

The kits grumbled but they promised to do their homework. After they left, it was just Nick, Judy, and her parents. They ate in silence for awhile.

Then Judy said, "So, um."

"Hey, Wilde, why don't we find some overalls for you?"

"Uh, sure, Sir."

"And, Judith, we can walk off some of the dinner."

"OK, Mom."

This was it. Divide and conquer. Rather than her parents talking to them two on two, they were going to each give a lecture to one of them. Judy's mother would tell her she needed to break up with Nick so she could find a nice, eligible rabbit, and her father would tell Nick to stay away from Judy. Carrots was the bravest animal Nick had ever met, but would she defy her parents? And much as Nick loved Judy, would he be able to fight for her if she gave in?

Nick ate one last bite of his stew and then followed Mr. Hopps out of the dining room, out to the hallway, and then up three flights of stairs to the attic. It occurred to Nick that he'd never had an attic, having always lived in apartments, or outside. This looked about like what he imagined an attic to look like, from movies and TV. Lots of clutter, a bit of dust and cobwebs.

"Sorry it's a mess. Bonnie keeps wanting me to clean it out but I never seem to find the time."

Nick nodded. With a farm and over 200 children, Mr. Hopps probably didn't have a lot of time for anything extra. "It's cool. I bet there are lots of hidden treasures up here."

"Uh, nothing valuable. Just sentimental value."

From the way Mr. Hopps said it and his nervous eyes and twitching nose, Nick realized that he'd had a reflex reaction of fearing that Nick would try to steal, or at least hustle, him out of priceless antiques. It was the sort of ingrained prejudice that Nick was used to, which he had learned to play with, by doing more complex cons, or just messing with animals' heads without actually trying to get anything but amusement. But he'd gone straight. He was a police officer now. And this was Judy's father, someone whose trust Nick was trying to win.

Nick held up a lava lamp. "Like this. I can't believe Judy left this behind."

Mr. Hopps relaxed and chuckled. "Well, she said her apartment was pretty small."

"Yeah, it is, even for a rabbit."

Mr. Hopps coughed. "You spend a lot of time there, Wilde?"

"No, not a lot." He was not about to tell Judy's father that they mostly hung out in Nick's apartment because it was an end unit and thus a little further from the neighbors.

"Uh huh. But you two work together. Partners."

"Right. It's our job to be a team."

"Yeah. Teamwork is good."

"Yes."

"Look, Wilde, you seem like a nice guy. But Jude is kind of young and she's got her whole life ahead of her. I just don't want her to do anything she'll regret."

"Like dating me?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm fine with you being friends."

"Good."

"Heck, I know there are good foxes, like Gideon Grey."

"Right." Nick didn't want to argue about that.

"But this, well, this 'inter-species relationship' stuff." He used air quotes, like it was some newfangled term he didn't approve of, neither the concept nor the phrasing.

"Go on."

"Well, I know I'm old-fashioned, but rabbits belong with rabbits, and foxes with foxes."

"Not rabbits and foxes?"

"Not as couples, no."

"Why not?"

Mr. Hopps coughed again. "You want me to say it?"

"Please."

"Well, you're too different."

"And different animals can't be together?"

"Well, no. It's not right."

Nick thought this was a circular argument, but he wasn't sure how to refute it.

Judy's father continued, "Look, even in the City, how many mixed couples do you see?"

"Not many. But then there aren't a lot of cops who are smaller than wolves either."

"Exactly. Poor Jude's got enough to cope with, being the first bunny cop. Why complicate her life?"

"She wanted me to complicate it. And not everyone wants simplicity."

"Yeah, OK, but I don't want to see her get hurt."

"I don't either. And I don't plan to hurt her."

"I'm not saying you're intentionally causing her grief, but you're a savvy guy. You know how the world works. And it can get ugly. There are a lot of animals who don't approve of mixed couples, and they can make it tough, for both of you."

"Uh huh." Nick didn't say, "You're her father. You should be supporting what she does, not shooting down her dreams all the time." He knew from what Judy had told him that her parents meant well, even when they said things like, "It's great to have dreams, as long as you don't believe in them too much." (A sentiment Nick admittedly agreed with before Judy changed him.) They were protective of her and had a hard time accepting that she was a tryer, a risk-taker.

"They can get violent," Mr. Hopps said quietly but firmly.

"She's a tough girl. And I'm not exactly a wimp."

"Yeah, I know, you're cops. But there's also just the day-to-day disapproval, the looks and the remarks. Why put Jude through that?"

"Isn't that her choice to make?"

"Look, you don't have kits, do you?"

"No." He didn't think Finnick counted.

"Well, when you do, and I hope you do with some nice fox-lady someday, you'll realize that even when they're grown up, you still want what's best for them."

"And that's not me?"

Mr. Hopps sighed. "Look, even if you were a rabbit, I'd still feel protective. Jude is, well, I try not to play favorites. But she's in my Top Ten of kits."

Nick smiled a little. "Yeah."

"I always knew she was something special. And I'm not like Mrs. Hopps, where I feel that Jude has to have kits of her own to be happy. If she wanted to be a career-girl, especially if she were a meter maid, well, more power to her. I never really expected her to have a serious boyfriend, to be honest."

"And then she brings home someone like me."

"Well, yeah. I mean, we invited you and we're glad to have you here as a guest."

"I'm looking forward to the fair, Sir."

"It is the best county fair for hundreds of miles around."

"That's what I've heard."

"Hey, we need to find you some overalls."

"Oh, right." Nick guessed they were done with the serious talk for now. Nothing had been resolved, but at least it was a start. He appreciated Mr. Hopps's honesty. This can't have been an easy conversation for him either.

For the rest of their time in the attic, they just talked about the items they found and Nick did his best to not seem like he wanted to swindle them out of Mr. Hopps.


	9. Jupiter & the Monkey

Mother love is blind. —Aesop

.

"Judith, did you pack a sweater?"

"Mom, I'm fine."

"Do you want to borrow mine?"

"Mom."

"Sorry."

They both knew this wasn't about sweaters. But Judy assumed her mother wasn't going to just launch right into all the reasons for breaking up with Nick. She needed a transition.

Judy was tempted to say, "Mom, I know you worry about me and you want to protect me. But I'm an adult. I can take care of myself." The thing was, she sort of understood how her mother felt. Judy had helped raise the youngest kits and she supposed when Stoss, for instance, brought someone home in twenty years, Judy would worry about whether the mammal was good enough for her baby sister. Except of course, Judy wouldn't be living at home or even close by and would have a different attitude than, say, Margie would.

She smiled and said, "Thank you for looking out for me, Mom."

"Of course. Do you want to walk to the top of the hill?"

"Sure." She remembered how when she was little she had felt lucky to be a rabbit. Not every animal got to play on the roof. She would play hide & seek and tag and pawball and whatever else she and her siblings came up with, sometimes games based on their favorite movies, TV shows, and comic books. And sometimes she would lie on her back, watching the wispy clouds drift across the almost blue sky (it never rained in her memories), daydreaming on her own, or talking, mostly with her batch, about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Gloria, Ryan the Lion, Bryant the Defiant, and Pierce the Fierce had never made fun of her dreams because they had their own. Gloria wanted to be a computer animator, and she was still taking online classes, although she had slowed down her education after marriage and especially motherhood. The three boys had wanted to form a band and they still played Saturday nights at the March Hare, despite their "real jobs" in construction. Judy was the one who had most realized her dream, although she did give up on it for awhile.

She wanted to race up the hill but she was trying to set a pace her mother could keep up with. So they wended their way along the most leisurely path, Judy helping her mother over the slippery parts.

At last they were at the peak and Judy gasped. They were just in time to catch the last of the sunset, and she felt like she did when she was a kid, like she could see to the edges of the world. She used to imagine the City of Zootopia and sometimes even beyond that, to semi-mythical lands where birds and fish and even reptiles were sapient. Sometimes she and her quints talked about traveling to see it all, although even the 211 miles to the City had seemed inaccessible at times.

Now it was just as magical to look at the orange-and-purple-bathed green hills and fields that seemed to stretch to infinity. It was hard to believe she had ever left this.

Then her mother said, "Judith, sit down."

Judy almost plopped down on the grass, but then she saw the bench her mother was easing down onto. "This is new."

Her mother nodded. "My doctor wants me to take more walks, but I always need to rest at the end."

Judy wondered if this was a sign of her mother, who had been ageless Judy's whole life, unchanged from 15 or 20 years ago, growing older. But then Judy supposed raising dozens and dozens of children would make anyone tired. She sat down next to her mother and said, "Mom, are you OK?"

"Hey, don't worry about me. I'll live forever."

"I have to worry. I love you."

Her mother smiled a little, understanding. "Yes." Then she sighed. "Judith, I know you don't want a lecture. And this isn't like the time you and Gloria were fifteen and hot-wired the truck so that the boys could make it to that 'gig' in Haresburg."

Judy had forgotten that. She was usually a good girl, but she had moments when she rebelled for the greater good. It made her think of how Nick had teased a couple days ago, "You're quite the little rogue cop, aren't you, Carrots?" He was referring to her dealings with Mr. Big and "a shifty lowlife" like Nick, as well as her affinity for hustles.

"And Nick seems very nice. Not what I pictured."

"What did you picture?"

"Oh, you know, sly, sneaky, dishonest. The old stereotypes."

Judy wondered if she should tell her mother how Nick had played into those stereotypes and why.

Her mother continued, "But he's a police officer and very articulate."

Judy smiled a little. Nick had recently told her that "articulate" is one of those back-pawed compliments that foxes get, although she hadn't meant anything bad of course.

"You are articulate, Nick, very well-spoken."

"And you, Fluff, are very cute."

She now said, "Thank you, Mom."

"You're welcome. I just want you to know that this isn't about whether Nick is 'good enough for you.' Of course, your father thinks no one is good enough for you, but that's another story."

Judy smiled a little again. "I know, Lyle wasn't good enough for Gloria, even though they dated for years and he's turned out to be a great husband and father."

"Well, he's getting used to Lyle now. He took him fishing last weekend."

"That's progress."

"Yes. And he might take Nick fishing, but don't get your hopes up about it. He likes Nick as an individual."

"Oh, good."

"And so do I."

"Thanks, Mom."

"We hope that you two will be friends for a long time. But I think you're going to realize someday that there's no future in a romance with Nick."

There it was. Her mother had finally gotten to that point. Judy wasn't a patient bunny, but as patiently as she could she said, "Why not?"

"Oh, Judy, why should you cheat yourself out of a normal life?"

"Mom, I think when I was nine and decided to become the first bunny cop, I'd already given up on 'normal.' "

"Police officers can have children. You told me about your co-worker the elephant."

"Yes, Francine."

"But she's married to another elephant."

"Mom, I don't know if I want children or marriage."

Her mother stared at her, less in shock than in bafflement. "You don't?"

"Mom, it's nothing against either. I know how happy you and Dad are. And I loved helping raise the littles."

"Judy, you're so good with them! You should have some kits of your own."

"Maybe I will and maybe I won't. I'd be happy just being an aunt, and I've got plenty of niblings to dote on, with more on the way."

"It's not the same."

"No, Mom, it isn't. But I don't need to be a mom like you did. Or like Gloria or Margie or the others. If it happens, then great. But I could have a full life without it."

"And you don't even want to get married?"

"Mom, I'm only 24."

"Judy, I had fifty kits when I was your age."

"You also were high school sweethearts with Dad. I've only recently fallen in love and I'm just trying to figure out what it means. Maybe Nick and I will get married, or maybe we won't. But we need to go at our own pace."

"So you admit that you might not have a future with Nick?"

"Mom, don't twist my words. I don't know about the future. I'd like to believe that this will last forever, but it's too soon to even guess."

"OK, let me ask you something, Judith."

"Yes, Mother?"

"Is it hypothetically possible that things won't work out with Nick and you'll end up marrying a rabbit after all?"

Judy sighed. "Yes, that is one potential future. But don't expect me to have dozens of kits. I love being a cop and I'm not giving that up."

"How about one dozen?"

"Baker's or regular?"

They both laughed and then her mother patted Judy's paw. Judy felt like they hadn't really resolved anything, but it was a good first talk. If she kept dating Nick, which she hoped to, then there would probably be many more talks. And her parents had come around on the police thing, sort of, even if they still wished she were a meter maid instead.

Her mother pointed. "Brace yourself, Honey. If you think this was a tough conversation..."

Judy followed the line of her mother's arm and paw. "Oh, sweet cheese and crackers!" she muttered, as the Marge Barge pulled into view.


	10. The Rabbit, the Weasel & the Cat

The strong are apt to settle questions to their own advantage. —Aesop

.

Nick had always believed he could make any outfit look cool. But as he looked at the full-length mirror in the hallway on the second floor, he had his doubts. Even he could not make overalls look cool. He tried putting on his sunglasses. Even worse. Well, at least it would give Judy a good laugh, cheer her up.

When he went down to the ground floor and into the family room, he expected her siblings to laugh, but they didn't seem to find it any stranger than Mr. Hopps had. Nick supposed that overalls seemed perfectly normal to them, even on a very un-country fox.

There appeared to be more kits than he saw before, including babies. Then he heard a very loud female voice exclaim, "Judy, this is the suave city-slicker who swept you off your paws?"

Nick spotted Judy on the floor playing with toddlers. She got to her feet and said, "Margie, this is Nick. Nick, my sister Margie."

She was pointing at one of the bigger rabbits in the room. Marge the Sarge was tall and muscular and yet she also clearly hadn't lost the weight from all her pregnancies, including the very recent one. She looked like someone Nick would not want to cross.

Nick had thought about how to play this. Kissing Marge's paw and being smooth and charming was probably not the way to go. Polite and quiet had worked with her parents but he didn't want Marge to think he was boring. He now decided that, while he wouldn't set out to offend her of course, it was probably best to act like this wasn't a big deal. So he waved across the crowded room and said, "Hey, how's it going, Margaret?"

The siblings and some of the older niblings stifled their laughter. Judy had pushed her way over to Nick's side and now whispered, "It's Marjorie."

"Hey, how's it going, Marjorie?"

"Good. How's it going with you, Nicholas?"

So the Sergeant had a sense of humor. Good to know.

"Can't complain."

Then a tall, muscular male rabbit entered the room and said, "Doll, I've got things set up on the boat."

Marge scooped up two babies and said, "Thanks, Axel. Judy, Nick, come with us."

Nick was not about to object, and Judy didn't look like she dared. He wanted to take her paw but hesitated too long.

They followed Marge and Axel out of the room, out of the house, across the field, and over to the river. Nick saw a large barge named _Marge_. He resisted making a joke about it.

Axel and Marge had them board the boat ahead of them. Nick saw that there was a projector, movie screen and a few deckchairs. He resisted making a joke about not thinking to make popcorn.

Axel gestured for them to sit down, so they did.

"Marge, what's this about?"

Marge shushed Judy. She sat down next to her, and then Axel started the film.

At first it was in black & white and then in faded color, and then crisper color. It didn't take Nick long to realize it was edited together from home movies about the Hopps family.

"Um, Marge..."

Marge shushed her again.

In a way, it was entertaining. Nick liked seeing Judy's ancestors, and the cars and clothes they owned.

"Hey, Fluff, is that your mom?" he whispered after awhile.

"I think so. Or her sister, my Aunt Judy."

"She looks like you."

"Yeah, she does."

Marge shushed them both.

Nick watched the hundreds of bunnies play sports, go on vacations, sing around a piano, have meals, celebrate holidays, and age. When it got up to Judy as a little girl, he took her paw and squeezed it. She smiled at him.

The last moment was high school graduation for Judy (and Gloria and the other siblings born that year). Then the film flickered and faded.

Nick clapped. "Nice editing, good music selection, thank you for sharing it with us."

Marge shook her head and got to her feet, still holding the babies she'd brought along. They'd slept through the movie, although Nick assumed that wasn't a criticism.

"Family. That's what love is about."

"Marge..."

"You two can't get married because you can't have children."

"Margie, first of all, we're not planning to get married. We've been a couple less than a week."

"Why date if you can't get married?"

Nick wasn't sure if that was a trick question. "Um, companionship?"

"You can have that as friends. It's foolish for you to start a relationship that has a dead end."

"Excuse me?" Judy said, letting go of Nick's paw and getting to her feet.

"And don't forget that mating is for making kits."

"Oh, you're the last of the romantics, Marjorie."

"Obviously, it has other purposes, but children are the symbol of love."

"Um, Margie," Axel said hesitantly.

"Yes, Axel?"

"I was just thinking, well, can they even mate? I mean, Nick is a fox and, well, they may not even be physically compatible."

"Axel, please."

"I'm just saying, Doll, they may end up just kissing and stuff. And so maybe this won't work out anyway."

"Judy, have you mated with Nick? Or are you planning to?"

"I am not answering that!"

"So you have. Even though it's a sterile union and a violation of natural law."

"But how did you—?" Axel looked at Nick. "I mean, Bro, I don't get how it would work."

Now Nick got to his feet. "OK, I'm done. I've tried to be the nice, patient boyfriend but, Carrots, I've had it with your family. Enough is enough."

"Typical fox," Marge muttered.

"No, a typical fox would rip your throat out, but I've evolved beyond physical violence."

"Oh, how mature of you," Marge said. "Verbally violent and speciesist."

"I'm speciesist?"

"You just called my sister 'Carrots.' "

"It's a pet name. OK, let me rephrase that."

"WILL YOU ALL PLEASE SHUT UP?"

The three of them stared at Judy, and then the babies started crying. Judy took one of them and started rocking it in her arms. "Look, I love all of you. I'd like you to at least put up with each other for my sake. I don't expect miracles. I don't expect you to accept Nick right away. And, Nick, I know my family can be irritating."

Marge huffed indignantly at that, but she didn't say anything.

"But they do mean well. Even Margie."

"Even?" But the Sarge smiled a little.

"Marjorie, I appreciate the show & tell. And I didn't really need a reminder of how important family, this family, is. But there are all kinds of ways to make a family. Nick is part of my life now. I don't know what he'll be in ten or twenty years—"

"Chief Bogo's replacement?" he suggested.

She smiled a little. "But he's my best friend and the animal who makes me happiest. Please try to recognize that."

Marge shook her head. "You should respect how I feel."

"I'm trying. But right now, I'm going to go watch a professionally made movie, with some of my siblings who happen to think Nick is awesome." She handed the baby back to Marge and walked off the boat and back to shore.

Nick said, "You're welcome to join us."

"Thanks," Axel said. "And, Dude, you don't have to tell me how your mating works."

"Maybe when we're in-laws." Nick went to catch up with Judy. When he did, he took her paw again. "I think you're pretty awesome yourself."

"I think you look adorable in overalls."

"Country girl," he teased and kissed her for the first time in hours.


	11. The Bat & the Weasels

Set your sails with the wind. —Aesop

.

Judy and Nick were at breakfast when Binky showed up, hopped over to Judy, and gave her a big hug. "O. M. Goodness, sorry we're late but my sorority had a super party last night and I couldn't miss it!"

"It's OK. Where's Pammy?"

"Parking the car. Oh, wow, this must be Nick!"

"Binky I presume?"

Binky giggled and whispered, "Judy, he's cute! Not everyone can carry off orange."

"Very true."

In a louder voice, Binky asked, "So, Nick, like, do you do hugs?"

"I like to get to know someone first."

"I totally understand. Mmm, facon! My favorite!" Binky pulled up a chair next to Judy and started devouring strips of the pig-like soy product.

"Weren't you on a diet?"

"It's OK because it's fair day and everyone knows diets don't count at the County Fair."

"Right."

Nick murmured something very faintly, just for Judy's ears, that sounded like " _Legally Fawned_?"

Gloria, on Nick's other side, whispered, "More like _Clawless_."

Then Pammy came in shyly and said, "Um, hi. Sorry we're late."

"It's OK." Judy got out of her seat and went over to hug Pammy. "It's good to see you, Hammer."

"Thanks, Dude. Um, is that Nick?"

"Yes." She led her sister over to her boyfriend. She could feel Pammy trembling and noticed her nose was twitching. And then it hit Judy. Pammy was the kid sister who had witnessed Gideon Grey bullying the sheep fifteen years ago. She was five then and it had shaken her up a lot, especially when Gideon scratched up Judy's face. She even had nightmares about it for a few weeks. And here was Judy, the big sister who had tried to protect her, bringing home a fox boyfriend. Even though Pammy had grown up, she probably felt like that helpless little girl again.

It was one thing to say that animals should get past their prejudices, but Judy knew from her own experience that it wasn't that easy. She had gone off to the City thinking that all mammals got along there, but her first morning she had taken the Fox Away that her father had insisted on, rather than leave it behind in her apartment. And throughout her early dealings with Nick, even as she grew fond of him and realized that there was more to him than the stereotypes, she'd still had the repellent for security. Of course, it had just made her more vulnerable.

Pamela hadn't really had any positive contact with foxes, like Judy had. She wasn't around when their parents were forming a partnership with Gideon, and there were probably few or no foxes at college, since there hadn't been any in Judy's day, only a few years earlier.

Nick got to his feet and gently said, "It's nice to meet you, Pamela."

"Y— you, too."

Judy wanted to give Pammy another hug for trying.

Then Charlie poked his head in and said, "Will you guys hurry up and eat? The fourth and fifth shifts are starving out here!"

Nick and Judy sat down again. Pammy hesitated and then took a chair on the other side of Binky.

"I like your overalls, Nick," Binky said.

"Thanks. They were your brother Buck's I think."

Binky giggled. "Well, he never wore them with a tropical shirt."

Nick shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a fashion god."

Now most of the siblings at the table laughed. Even Pammy smiled a little.

After breakfast, when they had a moment alone, Nick quietly asked, "Hey, Fluff, was Binky flirting with me?"

Judy shook her head. "No, she's just very enthusiastic about everything."

"Got it."

She decided not to mention that Binky thought Nick was cute.

With about 250 members of the Hopps family, and Nick, going to the County Fair, Judy wondered how they were all getting there. Sometimes they drove and sometimes they took the shuttle, although both took awhile.

She explained to Nick, "...It's over in Mole Valley."

"Not in Bunnyburrow?"

"No, each of the three burrows of the Tri-burrows takes turns hosting it. It was Gopher Gusto last year, so we get it next year."

"That should be exciting."

She wasn't sure how sarcastic he was, but her father took him seriously and said, "Well, you can come back for Carrots Day in a few months. It's not as big as the County Fair, but it's still a lot of fun."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Dad, how are we getting there today?"

"Cavy got his pilot's license!"

So that was what Stoss had meant about him trying to fly again. She thought it had been more experiments with wings made out of balsa wood and goose feathers.

"Uh, Dad," Gloria said, coming over with a stroller holding her quints, "I don't know about this. Cavy is a little reckless."

"It's OK. His buddy Mike is flying and he'll just be co-pilot."

"Oh, good." Judy felt somewhat relieved, although there was no guarantee Mike was any better at flying than Cavy was.

"They've got a plane big enough for all of us?" Sandy asked.

"I'm afraid not. We'll go in shifts."

"What is it with this family and shifts?" Charlie muttered.

"Here's the flight schedule," Judy's mother said, handing out copies.

Nick looked over Judy's shoulder. "That's good. We're flying together. Of course, if we both die, I don't know who will get custody of Finnick."

Her parents and surrounding siblings looked at him.

Judy blushed a little. "In-joke."

The plane arrived just as the last shift was finishing breakfast, but everyone rushed out to the field to see it. The landing looked smooth although Judy was still a little nervous about flying. She never had before, not counting the sky-trams. Even taking the train had been an adventure a few months ago

"Nick, have you ever flown?"

"A few times. Mostly blimps in the Rainforest though."

"That sounds nice and calm."

"I'll take you sometime."

She smiled at him.

Cavy got out of the plane, wearing a worn, brown pleather jacket, goggles, and a long white scarf, as well as overalls.

"Now there's a fashion god," Nick whispered. Judy tried not to laugh.

Introductions were made. Mike, whom Judy had never met before, turned out to be a hedgehog.

The trips to and from Mole Valley went quickly, so soon it was Nick and Judy's turn, along with her parents and about twenty of her siblings. When Judy's nose twitched, Nick took her paw. His own paw was shaking a little. She tried to ignore a couple of the junior high girls nudging each other about the paw-holding. Then Nick very casually put his other arm around her. He hadn't even done that when they were watching movies in the family room the night before. She assumed this was more for comfort than affection, but it did feel nice. She worried someone was going to object or glare, but her siblings mostly seemed to find it cute. And her parents just looked away, pretending they hadn't seen anything.

The flight was a little bumpy but not bad. Judy didn't feel brave enough to look out at the view, although Stoss and Bob were pushing and shoving over their shared window seat. It felt like moments later that the plane landed in the field next to the sprawling fair parking lot. Nick let go and she had the feeling he would be more reserved when they were among strangers.


	12. The Donkey & the Lap Dog

Do not try to gain favor by acting in a way that is contrary to your own nature and character. —Aesop

.

The County Fair had an insect petting zoo, deep-fried bugs, and a band that played a medley of songs by Adam Ant, Iron Butterfly, the Bee-52s, the Beatles, Daddy Roach, Buddy Holly, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Nick wasn't sure if this was a theme or typical for a fair.

"O. M. Goodness, it's the boys!"

"Binky's right," Gloria said. "I almost didn't recognize them."

"Those are our brothers onstage," Judy told Nick.

"They look like total geeks in overalls," Charlie said. "Uh, no offense, Nick."

"Why would I take that personally?" Nick asked, snapping his own suspender.

"I'll introduce you when they're done," Judy promised.

"Great. Meanwhile, may I have this dance?" Judy hesitated, so Nick added, "It doesn't have to be touch-dancing."

She blushed a little and said, "OK."

They danced next to but not with each other. Nick remembered the Gazelle concert, less than two weeks ago, before they were a couple. She had been the enthusiastic one then.

He kept wanting to be affectionate with her today and then having to pull back. Not big, sloppy kisses on the fairway. Nick had class. But there were moments like when they were waiting in line and he wanted to lightly touch her back. He had to pretend his arms were chained to his sides.

It was partly the mixed reactions of her family to their relationship and partly the fear of some bunny yahoo threatening him for "messing with one of our girls." Or maybe they'd have to deal with an animal who wasn't a rabbit or a fox but who thought he or she knew what was best for other animals. Nick hated this. At least in the City, he felt like he could be himself. Here on Judy's turf, he had to follow her lead, and that seemed to be to keep affection to a minimum, even when he most needed to give and receive reassurance. Oh well, at least they'd be going home the next day.

The band was pretty good, although Nick hoped they didn't just do country covers of rock songs. Nick was doing his simple little moves which could be adapted to any style, while Judy, after some hesitation, let herself go as much as her siblings were. Binky wasn't the only one binkying. Nick smiled at Judy, happy to see her happy again.

He got tired before she did. "Can we take a break?" he shouted over the music.

She nodded. "What do you want to do now? Eat or go on the rides?"

"I'm thinking food should be after the rides."

She laughed. "OK. Which ride first?"

Before he could answer, some of her younger siblings ran over and pulled on her paws. "Judy, you said you'd go on rides with us!"

"Do you mind, Nick?"

"No, of course not. This is a family day."

"You're coming, too, aren't you, Mr. Wilde?" asked Cobby.

"Yeah, of course. I bet I can scream louder than anyone."

It turned out not every ride required screaming, the merry-go-round for instance. But the roller coasters and the haunted house did. It felt good to scream, get out some of his frustration. He did get hoarse after awhile.

"Ferris wheel?" Judy asked him.

He nodded. It would give them a good view of the fair and a chance to hold paws with a little privacy. Of course, he'd rather do the Tunnel of Love, but then they'd have to go back out into the light of the day and the possible glares of strangers. A fox and a bunny could go on a Ferris wheel together, right?

Her siblings of course tagged along, but Nick made sure he got in the same car as Judy, who smiled at him. He waited till they were several feet off the ground before he took her paw, saying, "I know you're afraid of heights."

"Not really," she said, although she squeezed his paw. "I was more scared of Cavy and Mike's flying."

"Ah."

"Isn't the view amazing?"

"Yeah," he said, but he was mostly looking at her, the way her violet eyes lit up.

"Nick," she said, blushing.

"I really want to kiss you, Fluff."

"I know, I want to kiss you. But I'm trying to be good."

"You are good, Fluff."

"Ni-ick! Stop doing the voice and the eyelids!"

He chuckled and sat up rather than lean towards her. He tried to make his voice and eyelids normal as he said, "I hope we stop at the top. You know, for the view."

"Uh huh."

They did stop at the top. And the view was amazing. He hadn't really looked at it on the plane, focusing more on Judy. But he now made himself take it all in, the rolling hills and smooth fields, like and unlike Bunnyburrow. Mole Valley was browner, less green, than Judy's hometown, and the houses seemed to be more below the surface of the earth than into the sides of hills. And, well, it was more of a valley.

"So what do you think of the Tri-burrows, Nick?"

"Well, I still need to see Gopher Grange."

"Gusto."

"Right."

And then she tipped her head up at him, like she wanted to hop up to his face but couldn't because of safety precautions. He tilted his head down and gave her a light kiss, which she deepened. He put one paw on her cheek and the other on her ear, lightly caressing her. She scratched his back, reaching into his overalls but over his shirt.

"Hey, get a room you, too!" yelled a voice from a few cars below.

"Hush, Lyle," said Gloria.

Nick and Judy pulled apart, smiling at each other. He wondered if they should try the Tunnel of Love after all.

And then the Ferris wheel turned again and they began to descend.

"Do you want to go meet the band?" she asked.

"Sure." It would be more names to memorize, but he was doing OK so far.

Before they got back to the bandstand, a dark-wooled sheep cried, "Judy, is that you?"


	13. The Leap at Rhodes

Deeds count, not boasting words. —Aesop

.

"Sharla Merino?" It had been six years since Judy had seen her old classmate the sheep, because Sharla had gone to Meadowlands College (or Ewe U as it was nicknamed). But Judy recognized the big blue eyes and the quiet voice.

Judy gave her a hug. Sharla was taller than her, although when they were kids it seemed like everyone was close to Judy's height, even Jaguar and Bobby Catmull (who was a cougar rather than a bobcat). When Sharla let go, Judy remembered that Sharla and her kid brother were the ones that Gideon Grey (who was definitely bigger, even then) had bullied along with Pammy. Judy was not looking forward to introducing Nick. What if Sharla was as bigoted as Bellwether?

"Oh, this must be Nick Wilde, your partner on the ZPD." Sharla held out her hand for Nick to shake, which made Judy smile. Then she frowned a little, thinking of how she had been bigoted in assuming that sheep were bigoted, just because of Bellwether and her minions.

Nick shook Sharla's hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"Nice to meet you."

"Sharla and I went to school together, starting at Woodlands Elementary."

Sharla laughed. "Do you remember that Carrots Day play we did?"

"Of course."

"I can't believe I wanted to become an astronaut. Of course, you did become a cop, but you always were a tryer."

"Yes. Um, what did you become?" Judy was embarrassed that she didn't know. Sharla probably heard about Judy's career from mutual acquaintances, or maybe she'd seen one of Judy's press conferences.

"Oh, I'm a writer."

That made sense. Sharla had helped Judy write the play and she'd been editor of their high school paper, _The Bunnyburrow Banner_. "What do you write?" Judy would've guessed science fiction, but maybe Sharla went into journalism.

"I just published my first book. It's called _Zooto Lore_."

"Sounds intriguing," said Nick. "What's it about?"

"It's sort of nonfiction about fiction. Specifically how our lives are shaped by myths and legends, how the stories we tell ourselves and each other, including children, affect our reality."

"Wow!" Judy exclaimed. That did sound interesting.

"It started out as my master's thesis but it kept growing, so my adviser encouraged me to publish it. I did a short run through Meadowlands Press, but then it got picked up by Saiga Sagas. They mostly do fiction, but the publisher really loved the revised manuscript I did for her."

"Oh, Sharla, this is wonderful!"

"Well, it's not like going to the moon, but it is pretty exciting."

"Writing is important, too. Where can I get a copy?"

"Barns & Nobble is going to be carrying it, and I think Howl's in Oryxon. Or you can order it online from Mastodon."

"Great! I'll keep an eye out for it."

A sheep with paler wool, a Cudweiser gimme cap, and a Gopher Polytechnic T-shirt came over with two deep-fried stick insects on sticks and said, "Hey, Shar, here's your change." He handed her a few coins and one of the snacks.

"Thanks, Gare. Judy, do you remember my brother Gareth?"

"Of course." She shook his free hand.

"Hey, the hometown girl who made good in the big city, the bunny cop who cracks the big cases."

"Don't embarrass her, Gare."

Judy was blushing a little. "I guess you heard about that."

"Who didn't? And this must be the fox behind the bunny."

"Nick Wilde," Nick introduced himself, although he didn't hold out his hand to shake till Gareth did.

"Good to meet you."

"Likewise."

"So, Gareth," Judy said, "you're at GP?"

"Yep. Majoring in Astrophysics."

"You're going to be an astronaut?"

"No, that's too demanding. I'm thinking ground control."

"Well, that's important, too."

Sharla asked, "Judy, did you hear Jaguar became an accountant for the ZRS?"

Judy smiled. "Yes, we ran into each other in the City."

"So I guess he sort of achieved his dream."

"Sharla, I told you I think being a writer is wonderful, too. I think whatever someone achieves, as long as it's something they believe in, is worthwhile."

"My little idealist," Nick murmured.

She ignored that and said, "Do you know what happened to Bobby Catmull? He performed the music for our play," she told Nick.

"Uh, I heard he became a session musician," Sharla said uncertainly, "somewhere in the City."

"Oh, that's great!" Maybe she'd run into him sometime.

Gareth smiled as if he knew something Judy didn't and said, "Hey, Shar, did you tell them about Chapter Thirteen?"

Now Sharla blushed a little. "Uh, no, I didn't go into detail about my book."

"What's in Chapter Thirteen?" Nick asked.

Gareth shook his head. "Nuh uh. I'm not going to spoil my sister's book. You'll just have to read it for yourself."

"I can't wait," Judy said, although she couldn't help wondering why Sharla was embarrassed by any part of her book.

A group of Judy's younger siblings called her name from several yards away.

"We should go," she said.

Sharla said, "Good to see you, Judy. Let's keep in touch."

"Here's my card," Judy said. She'd gotten in the habit of handing out her card on the Canal District case.

"Thanks, here's mine."

Judy looked at it. Sharla's email address was through her publisher.

"Judy! We're hungry!"

Judy, Nick, and the Merinos said goodbye and then she and Nick headed back to her family.

Nick took out his phone and typed quickly. "Hm, interesting. It's already sold out at Mastodon."

"But she said they just published it."

"I'm guessing whatever is in Chapter Thirteen is making this an instant best-seller. Shall we look at the one-star reviews first or the five-stars?"

"Put your phone away and socialize with my family again."

"As you wish, Milady."

Judy shook her head, although Nick was being a very good sport that weekend. She knew this wasn't easy for him, especially when he clearly wanted to be alone with her. She wanted that, too, but her family was important to her.

"Hey, who wants fried stick insects?" Nick called to the littles. "Judy is treating."

Judy crossed her arms as the littles all screamed, "Me!"

"Just kidding, Fluff. I'll go halfsies."


	14. The Cat, the Rooster, & the Young Mouse

Do not trust alone to outward appearances. —Aesop

.

"Well, look at you, Slick Nick!"

He straightened his tie. "You're just happy to see me out of overalls."

She smiled. "Yeah, that's it."

"So do I get a preview of your outfit? Or are you going like that? I mean, don't get me wrong. Pink plaid and blue jeans were good enough to woo me back."

"I wasn't wooing you. I was apologizing for being a stupid speciesist."

"Po-tay-to, po-tah-to."

She shook her head. "I'm going upstairs to change now."

"Now? Aren't we leaving in ten minutes?"

"Nick, I'm a bunny. I could be ready in five."

"Uh huh." He still took out his phone to play with while he waited.

It was less than ten minutes, if more than five. It would've been worth a much longer wait. Judy was always cute, and usually beautiful. But he realized that he'd never seen her in a skirt before, let alone a black dress that hugged her body like that. Inside, he felt like a cartoon wolf with eyes bugging out and his tongue on the floor. But since her sisters were standing next to her on the balcony, he tried to sound nonchalant with "It's an improvement."

"Oh, Nick, you flatterer!"

The flattery could wait till they were alone.

Her sisters— Gloria, Pammy, and Binky, but luckily not Margie— looked nice, too. But he had the feeling that they had spent at least as much time getting Judy ready as themselves. She was wearing makeup, which she didn't usually bother with, and the eyeshadow made her eyes look bigger and purpler than ever.

When they went outside, he expected her mother to leap up from the porch swing and cry, "Judith Marie, I forbid you to go out to a bar with a fox, especially dressed like a trollop!" And then Nick would say, "Does this suit make me look like a trollop?" Or maybe her father would start cleaning his shotgun.

Instead, her mother said, "Don't you all look nice?" and her father said, "Have fun, Kids."

Of course, when they walked towards the truck, Nick did overhear Mr. Hopps saying, "Bon, was Jude actually wearing a skirt?"

Lyle was in the driver's seat. He'd put on a clean shirt, but probably only because one of his babies had spat up on the one he wore to the fair.

Nick had missed his chance to be introduced to Judy's brothers who were in the fair band, but Gloria said they played every Saturday at the March Hare. And since she and Lyle hadn't been out dancing since their quints were born, and she hadn't gone dancing with Judy since before Judy left for the Police Academy, well, Binky thought the six of them should go to the MH. Pammy hesitated, but Binky talked her into it.

Nick got the feeling that Pammy was uncomfortable with him. Judy had explained to him about her being there, with Sharla and Gareth, when Gideon was being a jerk fifteen years ago. Well, Nick thought Gideon was still a jerk, so he could see why Pammy wasn't crazy about foxes. Nick wasn't sure if he could prove he was not only different from Gideon but worthy of Pammy's favorite sister in just one weekend. But at least he could start on it.

The bar was over in Haresburg, about fifteen minutes away. Nick and Judy rode in the back of the truck with her two younger sisters. Nick wanted to hold Judy's paw but he was feeling self-conscious again, especially considering how sexy she looked. He tried to make small talk about the fair and about what classes Binky and Pammy were taking. Binky of course did more of the talking than Pammy.

Nick had asked Judy if this would be a rabbit-only bar. Not that Nick had never been the only fox in the room before of course. At an earlier point in his life, he'd been a regular at Koslov's Palace, a polar bear hang-out in Tundratown. But he had the feeling that looking tough and surly would not be the best approach this time around. Anyway, Judy had said, "It's mostly but not only bunnies." That seemed to be the case around here. It had actually been a little strange to see so many moles and other burrowers at the fair, although bunnies were still well-represented of course.

When they got to the MH parking lot and out of the truck, Judy said, "Nick, you look really sharp in a white suit, but that may not have been the best thing to wear in the back of a truck."

"Please tell me I don't have fly dung down the back of my trousers."

"No, just grass stains," Binky said.

"I've got a little box of Hide detergent in my purse," Gloria said.

Nick thought that was weird, but then Gloria had brought her "mom purse," probably out of habit.

"Thanks."

"You just use a toothbrush—"

"You have one of those, too?"

"Of course."

"Do you need some help?" Lyle asked.

Nick could just imagine someone walking in on them in the restroom, maybe with Nick's pants down. "Uh, no thanks, I'll manage."

With the three Hopps sisters, even Pammy, offering him advice on how to remove the stains, they entered the bar. Not exactly the cool entrance Nick had been looking for. He excused himself and, with the Hide and a toothbrush in his paws, he quickly made his way over to and into the restroom. He hoped no one would walk in on him while he was alone either. Luckily, it was early in the evening, and the bar was pretty empty.

He tried to remove the stains without taking off his trousers, but it was unavoidable. He sighed and unzipped them then stepped out of them. He cleaned them at the sink until the stains were very faint. It would probably be too dark in the bar to see them. But now he had wet trousers. He sighed and took them over to the air-dryer.

A non-Hopps rabbit came in, saw Nick, said, "Excuse me," and backed out.

Nick sighed and put his trousers back on.

He found Lyle and the Hopps girls over at a front table. The band was setting up.

"I'll introduce you at their break," Judy promised.

"Did you get out the—?" Binky started to ask, peering around at his rear.

"Yeah, it's fine." He quickly sat down next to Judy.

"You guys want anything from the bar?" Lyle offered.

"They're underage!" Judy snapped.

"Uh, Dude, this is 18 and over night," Gloria said.

"And we drink at college," Binky said. "Ouch!"

Pammy had apparently just kicked Binky under the table, although she looked innocent. Nick smiled to himself.

"I'm sorry, Guys," Judy said. "I keep thinking of you as little girls. I forget that you're grown up now."

"It's OK, Judy. And I just want a Yoke anyway," Binky said.

"A Shirley Bengal," Pammy said demurely. Nick was starting to see the resemblance to Judy more now.

Judy ordered carrot juice, so Nick chose strawberry soda.

"Cheese and crackers," Gloria said, which Nick thought at first was her pseudo-swearing like Judy, until Lyle came back with a drink indeed made from cheese and crackers. It looked disgusting to Nick, but then he wasn't heavily pregnant.

"OK, Haresburg, are you ready to rock?" asked the lead singer/guitarist.

"Yeah, like we are every week," said a bored-looking bunny at the bar.

"Thank you, loyal fans!" said the keyboardist.

"One, two, three, four!" cried the drummer, tapping his sticks against each other.

And then they launched into much harder rock than they'd played at the fair. It was still catchy, so Judy and her sisters started dancing in their chairs, Judy second most after Binky.

The bunny who had walked in on Nick came over and Nick expected to be hassled, but instead the guy said, "Hey, Binks, wanna dance?"

"Sure, Skip!" She leapt to her feet and they moved out to the tiny dance floor.

Nick knew he should ask Judy to dance, but he felt self-conscious about it. It was so easy at the concert. They were standing right next to each other, and they didn't technically dance together. She just sort of ricocheted off him till he started dancing.

And then the guy from the bar came over. "Hey, Judy, I didn't know you were back."

"Oh, hi, Steve. Yeah, I'm just here for the weekend. This is—" She turned towards Nick.

"So you wanna dance?"

"Well, actually I'm here with someone."

"Isn't that Lyle, your brother-in-law?"

"No, I mean, yes, it is. And I'm here with him and my sisters, but—"

Nick knew what was going to happen next. Steve would realize that Nick was Judy's date and then he would pick a fight with Nick. And Lyle would either try to make peace or he would offer to hold Nick's jacket. Or maybe the band would try to calm things down with louder music. In any case, Nick had definitely picked the wrong night to wear a white suit.

Then Steve stared at Nick and said, "Is this the fox you were on the news with?"

"Uh, yes, this is Nick Wilde. Nick, this is Steve Blaze."

"Nice to meet you." Nick took a chance on holding out his paw to shake.

"Wow, you guys are total heroes!" Steve exclaimed, pumping Nick's paw.

Nick almost joked, "No autographs please," but he wasn't sure how that would go over.

"We were just lucky," Judy said modestly.

Steve chuckled. "You haven't changed. So, Pammy, do you wanna dance?"

"Uh, sure."

She got up and followed Steve to the dance floor.

"Jude, remember when she had a crush on Steve when you guys were dating?"

"Hey, Gloria, wanna dance?" Lyle said.

"Let's wait for a slow number," she said, patting her stomach.

"So Steve is your ex?" Nick asked Judy.

"We weren't that serious."

"Just paw-holding at the malt shop?"

"OK, on your feet, Wilde. You need to dance with me."

"You don't want to wait for a slow number?"

"Oh, you're dancing those with me, too."

Nick shook his head. "Are all the Hopps girls this bossy?"

"Yes," Gloria and Judy said together.

"Run while you can, Bro," Lyle said.

"I would but she's faster than I am."

Judy put her paws on her hips and tapped one foot.

"I don't know, the floor is getting kind of crowded, don't you think?"

She removed a paw from her hip and used it to pull him by his tie towards the dance floor.


	15. Mercury & the Woodman

Honesty is the best policy. —Aesop

.

As Judy started to fall asleep in the ten-year-old girls' bedroom, she couldn't help remembering how it had felt to dance with Nick, especially the slow dances. She had gone to dances in high school, with Steve and other casual boyfriends, but it was nothing like this. Her boyfriends then had been close to her height, and she couldn't rest her head against their chests like she could with Nick. She liked the height difference. Normally, she hated to feel small and vulnerable, and almost everything she did in her life was to compensate for that. But she trusted Nick, and he was so caring and gentle with her, she let herself relax into his larger body, his relatively long arms.

And he looked so handsome in white, a contrast to her black dress. Binky teased that they looked like the opposite of a bridal couple. That was the worst they had to face, teasing from her sisters. No one hassled them for being together, or Nick for being in a bunny bar. She wondered if she had been too paranoid about their relationship. Yes, there was prejudice, but not everyone was prejudiced. Part of the problem was you never knew who would react how, and so you had to be alert all the time.

She had wanted to be alone with Nick, really alone, but that would have to wait. Even the limited privacy of Nick's apartment was starting to look good after this weekend.

She now heard a light knock. Nick wouldn't dare come visit her at night, would he? Maybe he just wanted a goodnight kiss, since they hadn't managed one with her family around. She glanced over at her little sisters, who seemed to be sleeping soundly. They'd waited up for her, to hear how her date was. They'd been too young to care about what passed for her social life in high school, but now that their big sister was visiting with her Big City boyfriend, they were very curious. She'd given them a G-rated version of the evening, which was still enough to make them sigh. Not that the evening got more than PG of course.

She quietly slipped out of bed, throwing her robe on over her pajamas. She opened the door slowly so it wouldn't creak. Instead of Nick, it was Binky, who whispered, "OK, downstairs for girl talk!"

Judy wanted to protest that it was late, but it wasn't like she had to work the next day. So she put on her ladybug slippers and followed Binky down to the kitchen, where Gloria and Pammy were pulling taffy.

That brought back a lot of memories, including of sisters who had long since moved out, some of them now married with kits.

Judy pitched in without being asked, because that was what you did in the Hopps family.

Her sisters waited till the taffy was done before they began the interrogation. Judy couldn't help thinking that they would've made fine cops themselves, even Pammy, who was steel underneath her fluff.

Binky began it of course, asking, "Is it different kissing a fox? I mean, doesn't the snout get in the way?"

"Not if he tilts his head."

Then Pammy asked, "Are you going to get married?"

"Why does everyone keep asking that?"

"Because that's everyone's first thought about a mixed couple," Gloria said. "Well, one of their first thoughts."

"Well," Judy said, "it's too soon to say one way or the other."

"But it might happen?" Pammy asked.

"It might. How would you feel about it if it did?"

"I think it'd be super!" said Binky.

"She wasn't asking you," Gloria pointed out.

"I think," Pammy said slowly, "I'd worry about you. Marge says Nick threatened her."

"No, he didn't!"

"He said he'd rip out her throat if he weren't civilized."

"That's how everyone feels about Margie!"

Gloria and Binky laughed and nodded.

Pammy didn't even smile. "Nick seems very nice. But I just worry about his temper."

"Because he's a fox?"

"Well, yes. And you can call me a bigot, but I can't help having these fears. I saw the savage predators on the news, and I remember what Gideon Grey used to be like. And, yes, I know that bunnies can go savage, too. Mom told me about Uncle Terry. But what do you really know about Nick?"

"I know the important things, and I'm finding out more all the time."

"What are you girls doing up so late?" They hadn't even heard their mother come into the kitchen. Judy wondered how much she'd overheard.

"Just pulling taffy," Pammy said innocently.

Their mother shook her head. "I might've known. Just like when you were younger. I suppose you were talking about boys, too."

"You knew about that?" Binky asked in surprise.

"I'm your mother, I'm almost omniscient."

The four sisters giggled.

Then Gloria sobered and said, "Mom, what do you think of Nick?"

"He's a very nice young fellow."

"Uh huh."

"I do have to wonder what his parents think about the relationship. This must be an adjustment for them, having their son bring home a girlfriend who's prey. Or have you not met his parents yet, Judith?"

Judy wasn't sure how to answer that. Her mother probably imagined Nick having some kind of normal family life.

"That's a no then," her mother said a little smugly.

"I've met his mother," Judy said quietly. "She's in a sort of mental hospital. She went a little crazy when Nick's father disappeared twenty-five years ago, and then crazier when he died sometime after that. Nick's mostly been on his own since he was twelve." She hadn't meant to blurt all that out, and she hoped that Nick wouldn't be angry with her for telling her mother and sisters like this. Not that she feared his temper, not anymore, but she didn't want to hurt or upset him. She also didn't intend to shock her mother and sisters, but they were all staring at her now. Probably her mother wouldn't want her to be at all involved with Nick, even as friends, now that they knew more about his background, and that didn't even include him being a former Pawpsicle hustler.

"Oh, that poor boy!" cried her mother.

"He must be really brave, to deal with all that and act like nothing gets to him," said Binky.

"Jude, I'm sorry, I didn't know," said Gloria.

Pammy gave her a silent, taffy-pawed hug.

"Do I smell taffy?" asked Mr. Hopps. Then he saw the circle of sad-eyed females. "Uh, I'll wait till morning," he said and quickly exited the kitchen.


	16. The Donkey & His Shadow

In quarreling about the shadow we often lose the substance. —Aesop

.

"OK, Carrots, what's the deal with your family?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday they were normal. Some of them friendly, some of them the opposite of friendly, and some of them somewhere in between. And now your mom is knitting me a sweater, your father has promised to take me fishing next time I visit, and Margie is making me a blueberry cheesecake!"

"Oh, um, let's go talk somewhere in private."

"Is there anywhere private on this farm?" They were whispering in the hallway after breakfast and even that had been hard to manage.

"The barn should be empty right now."

So they headed out to the barn, which was filled with produce and farming equipment. Also a haystack. If he'd been in a better mood, he'd have joked about looking for a needle. Instead he leaned against the stack and crossed his arms. "Well?"

"Um, I had some girl talk with my sisters last night."

"Which ones?"

"The ones we went dancing with."

"So why is the Sergeant being nice to me?"

"I'll get to that. Pammy, Binky, Gloria, and I were talking last night—"

"Where? In this barn?"

"No, in the kitchen. We were pulling taffy."

"Oh, how quaint."

"Nick."

"Sorry. Go on."

"I answered some of their questions about our relationship."

He didn't like the sound of that but he just said, "Yeah?"

"Well, my mother came in while we were talking."

"And telling your sisters what a catch I am?"

"No, actually, it was about your temper."

"MY TEMPER?!" he shouted.

"Nick, please."

He took what he hoped would be a calming couple of breaths, then he quietly said, "I think my temper has been pretty good this weekend, everything considered."

"No, Nick, you've been great. It's just, well, Pammy has fears about foxes you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"And she worries about me and feels protective, even though she's a younger sister rather than an older one. So we were talking about that and my mom came in. So then obviously that changed the direction of the conversation."

"Obviously."

"And Mom wondered what your parents think about us."

"Did you tell them my mother was incredibly welcoming to you and can't wait for us to adopt?"

"Um, no. I told them about her, her situation. And about your father's death. Not the whole mystery of it, but just that he disappeared and then later died."

Nick felt like she'd punched him in the stomach. It had been really hard for him to open up to her about his parents, and he'd even taken her to his mom's hospital. And this was how she repaid him, by telling her family all about it?

"Nick, say something."

He shook his head. He didn't know how he could say anything without shouting.

"I'm sorry."

His voice came out hoarse and quiet instead of loud and thundering, "Do you think you can just hurt me and say sorry, again and again?"

"Nick, I didn't do it to hurt you. I wanted my family to understand you, to see how amazing you are."

"Amazing?"

"Yes, you had so many strikes against you, but you've made your life into something to be proud of."

He shook his head again. "Dumb bunny."

She flinched.

He unfolded his arms, reached out for her face, and caressed the cheek that he now saw bore a very faint scar from Gideon Grey. "You don't get it, do you? I was a loser before I met you. Yeah, I made two hundred bucks a day, Sweetheart, but I wasn't contributing to anybody's good except my own and maybe Finnick's. And then I met this crazy idealistic bunny who believed in me, who said I was so much more than a shifty, untrustworthy fox. She even said I'd make a pretty good cop. And then she screwed up, she broke my heart, and incidentally caused a city-wide species riot. But she apologized, saying I could hate her if I helped her, because she couldn't fix things without me. But I could never hate her, never."

"Oh, Nick."

"Oh, Fluff." He leaned down and kissed her, a soft, forgiving kiss.

"You're too good for me."

"Yeah, and apparently your parents finally recognize that."

She chuckled. "Yeah, that's it."

"Lucky for you I'm a very forgiving, understanding boyfriend."

She stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "I am very lucky."

He kissed her on the lips again. "Not as lucky as I am."

"Judy! Where are you?" called some of her little brothers and sisters.

"Well, somewhat lucky," he said.

She nodded and they left the barn together, paw in paw, ready for another family day at the fair.


	17. The Fox & the Grapes

There are many who pretend to despise and belittle that which is beyond their reach. —Aesop

.

"Bye, Judy, I love you! Bye! Bye!" Stoss yelled as she ran alongside the train, as she had weeks, no, months ago, when Judy first left for the City.

This time some of her siblings were yelling goodbyes to Nick, too. She was glad that her family had accepted him as much as they had. Not that everything was resolved, but they had made good progress in just one weekend.

"Mmm, this cheesecake is incredible!"

She turned away from the window and smiled. Margie had wrapped it for travel but Judy had had the feeling it wouldn't last long once they got on the train.

"Want some, Fluff?"

"No thanks. Too much fair food today."

"Yeah, I saved some room for this. Plus I danced off what I did eat."

He had, getting into the music more than he usually did, although not to bunny level. And she'd finally gotten around to introducing him to Ryan, Bryant, and Pierce, since she hadn't managed it at the March Hare. Her male quints seemed to like Nick, although they hadn't really had much chance to talk during the band's break. Judy hoped that Nick could meet more of her family next time, and get to know the ones he had met better. Maybe she and Nick would come back for Carrots Day, if not sooner. She just hoped her dad was joking about the entire family maybe paying a surprise visit to her apartment. At least it wouldn't be as awkward as if they'd arrived before they knew about Nick. But it was bound to be uncomfortable, for reasons of space if nothing else.

She sat down across from Nick and said, "Does it feel like we've been gone a long time?"

"Unfair question, Carrots. If I say yes, then it sounds like I'm insulting your family, like the time dragged with them."

"I didn't mean it like that. I guess it's just that a lot happened, and time moves more slowly in the country."

"Not when you're spending it with the Hopps family."

She noticed that day that some animals seemed to find it odd to see a fox in the midst of a crowd of bunnies. She had gotten used to that but she supposed it was unusual to outsiders. It hadn't exactly felt like Nick was one of them, but on the other hand it had felt like he belonged. And since he was taller than even Buck, the littles really liked getting piggy-back rides from him, and Nick obliged till his back started to hurt.

She'd been tempted to invite Nick to the Tunnel of Love, but she worried what strangers would say. It was one thing to wander around the fair with him and so many of her siblings, but another to take him on such a romantic ride. Besides, they would be going home soon and could sort of be alone that evening. Well, at least no one could walk in on them in Nick's apartment.

"Mmm, are you sure you don't want any cheesecake?" Nick held out the fork.

"Oh, all right."

He fed her a bite across the table. It felt intimate and flirty.

And then she heard a giraffe across the aisle mutter, "Why do they have to shove it down our throats?"

She was confused for a moment. Nick hadn't exactly shoved in the cheesecake. And then Judy realized that the giraffe meant that mixed couples were shoving their affection down the throats of animals who didn't want to see it. As if there were legions of mixed couples committing obnoxious displays in public. Judy had met only one other mixed couple before she got together with Nick, although she'd heard about inter-species relationships of course. And it wasn't like Bucky and Pronk were making out in the laundry room or something. (OK, sometimes she could hear their loud sweet talk, which they didn't apologize for, but it made a nice change from the bickering she thought.)

"Yes, I wouldn't mind it as much if they would just keep it private," loudly whispered the other giraffe.

Nick rolled his eyes.

Judy felt like leaning across the table and giving Nick a huge kiss. But she didn't want her affection with him to be a sign of defiance towards others. They weren't dating out of rebellion, to make a point, or to get attention.

"Come on, Fl— Judy, let's go to the observation car."

She nodded and followed him. He carried the cake and she carried the forks and napkins that Margie had thoughtfully included.

They didn't say anything at first. They just watched the beautiful scenery zoom by.

Then Nick said, "So how's it feel to be looked down on by giraffes?"

She shook her head. "Why does everyone make this about them? I love you, you love me. It's about us."

"We don't live in a bubble. And everyone is the center of their own world. Also, look, why did you become a cop?"

"Huh?"

"Answer the question, Officer Hopps."

"Nick style?"

"No, answer that question, not one of your own."

"I wanted to make the world a better place."

"So you admit that your actions have consequences."

"Well, yes, but those are actions I take to help others. When I'm affectionate with you, I'm not doing it to have an impact on anyone but you."

"Well, when you do it in public, Carrots, it has an impact."

"But I don't want to live like that!"

"You've got a couple choices, Fluff. Don't be affectionate with me in public, or do it and try not to care what anyone thinks."

"It's not that easy, Nick."

"Yeah, I know. Remember? I'm the guy whose eyewitness account was dismissed by the police not that long ago. The guy who had a cute little meter maid follow him down the street because she was suspicious of him."

"With cause."

"Well, yeah, but it happens even to foxes who aren't hustlers. Of course, having a cute little meter maid follow me down the street has been one of my more pleasant experiences of prejudice."

She shook her head. "You are an incredible flirt, you know that? I mean, if you hadn't been so annoying, I probably would've realized that some of what you said to me in the first few hours of our acquaintance was, below the condescending surface, extremely flirty."

"Such as?"

"Well, for one thing, strange males don't usually call me 'Sweetheart' or 'Darling.' "

Nick gave her a sly smile. "Oh, I thought you were going to remark on my reference to your 'cute fuzzy-wuzzy tail.' "

She blushed a little. "That was flirting, too?"

"Well, it is very cute and fuzzy."

She blushed more as she admitted, "I liked the way you shook your tail when you said it. I mean, I was mad at you, but I couldn't help noticing you have a gorgeous tail, Nick."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, so red and fluffy and long."

"Mm hm." He wagged it a little.

"Nick!"

"You want to stroke it, don't you, Judy?"

"Not in public."

"Well, maybe when we get home."

She smiled and then a pack of bandicoots came in and started taking pictures of the scenery with their phones.


	18. The Fox Without a Tail

Do not listen to the advice of him who seeks to lower you to his own level. —Aesop

.

"So is this easier if you reach around or if I turn my back to you?"

"Um, let's start out with you turning your back to me."

"OK. He rolled over. "Feel free to spoon me if you want."

"No, that might squish your tail."

"Good point."

It felt funny doing this. The girls he'd dated before had had long tails of their own. Judy had touched his before, but never focusing on it like this. But if it made her happy and would feel nice to him, he had no real objections.

"Do I start at the base? Or somewhere in the middle?"

"Wherever you want, Darlin'. Just don't stroke towards the base."

"I'll try not to rub you the wrong way."

"Har har."

She lightly started stroking from the middle out to the tip. "It really is as soft as it looks."

"Thank you."

With each stroke, she moved her paw closer to the base. "Does this feels nice to you?"

"Yeah, it's kind of like gentle massage, very relaxing."

Then she lightly touched his butt.

"Whoa, Sweetheart! That might be a little too much."

"Sorry." She went back to stroking his tail, not quite so close to the base. "Is it weird that I want to wrap it around my shoulders like a shawl?"

"As long as it stays attached to me, no."

She chuckled. "OK. Can I hug it? Or would that squish it too much?"

"I'm fine with you squishing any part of me."

"Good." He could feel her scooting down the bed and then she wrapped both arms around his tail, gently squeezing it.

"Do you like hugging it more than my body?"

"No, it's just different. It's sort of like a very fluffy pillow that moves."

"I see." He wagged it a little and she laughed.

"But when I hug your body, your body hugs back."

"Yeah. Let go for a minute, Carrots."

"Am I hurting you?"

"Nah, I just want my body to get hugged, too."

"OK." She let go and he rolled over to face her, but she was too far down the bed, so now he scooted down till his legs were hanging off the bed. He took her into his arms and hugged her.

One of her arms embraced his torso, but the other reached behind him to stroke his tail.

"Ooo, Fluff, that is really nice."

"Your heartbeat sped up just now."

"I don't doubt it."

"Nick, I wish we could be alone, really alone. I mean, I love cuddling with you and I'm glad we can do that again. But this is only private compared to my family's house."

He nodded and then lightly rested his chin on the top of her head. "It won't always be like this, Fluff. Maybe someday, if you want and things seem to still be good between us, maybe we could, I don't know."

"Say it, Nick."

"Rent an apartment together."

"Oh, I don't know."

"Or maybe a house so we don't have people on the other side of the wall."

"No, it's not that. I mean, that does sound wonderful, but I don't think my parents would approve of us living together outside of marriage."

"Well, we're not ready for marriage yet. And neither are they. I mean, for us being married."

"I know. It's just, well, you saw how old-fashioned they are."

"Yeah. And maybe you're kind of old-fashioned yourself."

She sighed. "Maybe. I mean, I am very modern."

"Most bunny cops are."

She chuckled against his chest. "Yeah. But in some ways, yes, I care what my parents think. And, yes, I'm 24, almost 25."

"When's your birthday?"

"The 16th of next month."

"Ah, Caulis the Lettuce. I should've known."

"What are you, Nick?"

"A fox. Can't you tell my long, lustrous red tail?"

"I meant astrologically, you goof."

"Acinum the Berry of course."

"Of course. Are they compatible?"

"I like to think so."

"I would never have guessed that you'd believe in astrology."

"Oh, why's that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. You just don't seem that superstitious."

"Well, I am. As a matter of fact..." He let go of her and dropped to the floor. "I think rabbit's feet are very lucky." He tickled the bottoms of her feet, making her giggle like crazy.

"Come on, you two, we can hear that even in our apartment!" shouted Bucky.

"Yeah, it's almost midnight! Some of us have to work tomorrow!" yelled Pronk.

"Be quiet, Fluff, have some consideration for the neighbors," Nick whispered and then kissed her soles.

"Nick!" she gasped.

"OK, Lettuce, I've got to kick you out. I have to work tomorrow, too."

She sat up and sighed. "So do I. And I was up late last night."

"And you didn't even save me any taffy. Tsk-tsk."

"There's some in my suitcase. But somebody distracted me from unpacking."

"The fiend."

"I'll bring some to work tomorrow."

"For me or for everyone?"

"Just for you."

"Poor Clawhauser."

"OK, maybe a little for Clawhauser."

"You're such a thoughtful coworker."

"I try." She hopped down to the floor, gave him a peck on the lips, and then went to the door. "Goodnight, Nick."

"Goodnight, Judy."

She opened the door, slipped through, and shut it. Then he could hear her opening and shutting the door next door.

He sighed and crawled back onto the bed. He fell asleep hugging his tail and wishing these were her paws instead of his.


	19. The Mother & the Wolf

Do not believe everything you hear. —Aesop

.

Bogo looked stern as he said, "I think we need to acknowledge that Officer Hopps has done something that no bunny cop has ever done before."

Judy tried not to look embarrassed or guilty, although she was very uncomfortable that he was going to scold her in front of everyone in the bullpen. In a way, she was glad Nick was at her side, to comfort and reassure her. On the other hand, he would probably be next to be criticized. They had been behaving at work, but they were still fraternizing, especially at home. Well, maybe Bogo was instead going to praise her for her work on the two biggest cases of the year, the missing mammals and the drownings. That would be embarrassing in a nicer way. She reminded herself that he almost always looked stern.

"Judy."

She looked at the Chief as bravely as she could.

"Happy Big Two-Five."

Now she let herself blush a little. Nick let himself smile a little. And the other officers clapped, more than a little.

In their squad car a little later, Nick said, "So a quarter of a century."

"Makes a girl think," Judy said, doing her best Marilyn Mongoose impression.

He chuckled. "Yeah. So what would you like to do to celebrate?"

"Oh, I don't know. We could order a pizza and watch a movie or something."

" _Some Like It Marmot_ perhaps?"

"Maybe."

"Oh, well, I guess we can take the Zoo-ray along. And I'm sure we can find a pizza place that will deliver."

"Along where? Deliver where?"

"Oh, didn't I mention that I've booked us a room this weekend at Rainbow Falls Lodge?"

"Nick!"

"I told you I'd take you to the Rainforest District sometime. I mean sometime when we're not interviewing a limo driver that goes savage right before our eyes."

"Yeah. Why didn't you tell me before?"

"It's called a surprise, Sweetheart. Traditional for birthdays. Or do you have plans?"

"No, of course not. It's just, well, what if my parents call while we're at the hotel?"

Then her phone rang. Nick smiled and then grinned when he looked over her shoulder and saw it was her parents wanting Muzzletime.

She answered even though she was on duty. She and Nick didn't have a specific crime to solve or prevent. For the past couple weeks, Bogo had been assigning them to general surveillance outside Little Rodentia. The new mayor, Mora Romagnola, had initiated the Further Mammal Inclusion Initiative to recruit rodents and other very small mammals to the Zootopia Police Academy, but so far no one had applied. In the meantime, until a mouse or similar joined the ZPD, the two smallest officers would be in their squad car outside the perimeter of the LR entrance. If they spotted suspicious activity in or around the sector, then they were supposed to investigate. So far, they'd just caught a shoplifter at Mousey's. Otherwise, she and Nick sat and chatted or played cards.

"Hi, Mom, hi, Dad."

"Happy birthday, Judy!" they cried. And then as many of her siblings as could crowd into the frame sent their birthday wishes.

"You kids are going to be late for school," their father warned.

"Don't forget your lunches!" their mother said.

"Or your homework."

"Or our hugs and kisses."

The screen of Judy's phone filled with a blur of goodbye hugs and kisses. Judy remembered what that was like to be in the midst of, especially on a school morning. Then she'd skip down the road to Woodlands Elementary or Pleasant Valley Junior High, surrounded by enough siblings to fill a small school of their own. When she reached high school age, she'd sometimes walk or sometimes get a ride from whichever of her older siblings had the keys to the truck that day. Until she was sometimes the ones with the keys. When she started at Harevard, she and her quints bought a beat-up '87 Guava together, which ended up being her car when Gloria got married their senior year and the boys bought a van for their gigs.

When it was just her parents left in the house, her mom said, "Oh, you're in your uniform. I didn't realize you'd be on duty so early."

"It's OK, Mom. Nick and I are just on stakeout."

"Stakeout?" her dad said, his nose twitching. "Not against anyone armed I hope."

"No, Dad, it's not for anyone specific. More like protecting Little Rodentia."

"Oh, so tiny criminals?"

"Mostly, yes."

"That doesn't sound so bad, Stu."

"I guess not. Even Judy could deal with a mouse or a shrew."

Judy thought of how menacing Mr. Big was before she befriended him, but she wasn't eager to tell her parents about her dealings with organized crime. She wasn't exactly raised to ask crime bosses to pretend they were going to ice weasels.

"So Nick is there?" her mom asked.

"Hey, Mrs. Hopps, Mr. Hopps." Nick leaned over and waved into Judy's phone.

They waved back and then her dad whispered, "Bon, I feel a little better knowing that Nick is with her. He's bigger and a predator. He can protect her if there's any real trouble."

"Or she can protect him," her mother said, and Judy wasn't sure if she was joking. In a normal voice, her mom asked, "So are you doing anything to celebrate? I mean after work."

Judy hesitated. She didn't think her parents would approve of her going to a hotel with Nick. They of course didn't know about the hotels she'd been in with Nick in the Canal District, not to mention three nights in a one-room cave.

"I'm taking her out to a nice restaurant," Nick said smoothly.

"Oh, how sweet!"

"Don't forget she's fructose-intolerant," her dad warned.

"No, Stu, that's Missy," her mom said referring to one of Judy's older sisters.

"Oh, right, sorry. Nick, feed her all the fruit and honey you want."

"Will do, Sir." Judy half expected him to salute.

"Well, we should let you two get back to staking out. Stake-outing?"

"Thanks, Dad. I love you both."

"We love you!" her parents cried.

"And, um, goodbye, Nick," her mother added.

"Take care of our girl," her father said. Judy shook her head as her mother whispered something that she couldn't catch this time. "Uh, I mean, take care of yourselves."

"We will, Sir, thank you."

They all waved goodbye and Judy clicked off. She looked at Nick, who was still leaning over. "You are such a liar!"

He did the fake-offended thing he did so well. "Me? I assure that I will take care of the fragile, delicate little Hopps girl to the best of my abilities."

She playfully pushed him away. "Don't you start."

"Look, Fluff, your dad knows that you can defeat a rhino at boxing, but you are still his little girl."

She sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"And then you bring home a big, muscular predator as a boyfriend, well, obviously you must be dating me for my brawn."

"And here I thought it was for your quick wit and devastating charm."

"Not my winning smile or emerald green eyes? Or even my long, lustrous red tail?"

"Well, maybe those, too."

"So what was I lying about?"

"About taking me to dinner in a nice restaurant."

"They have nice restaurants in the RFD. We can't eat pizza the whole weekend."

"You omitted the whole Rainforest part."

He shrugged. "If you want to call them back and tell them, feel free."

She shook her head. "Shut up and deal."


	20. The Donkey & the Load of Salt

The same measures will not suit all circumstances. —Aesop

.

"Judy, I have a confession to make."

She turned away from the window where she'd been admiring the beautiful, moist scenery. "What's that?"

"Well, I told someone about you."

"Finnick?"

"No, not yet."

"Flash?"

"That would take awhile."

"Who then?"

He could've been insulted, since he knew everyone and there were lots of animals he could've talked to about her. But there weren't many he ever said anything personal to. "Some folks you don't know. And, well, don't be surprised if they make a big fuss about you."

"Oh. But, Nick, what—?"

Before she could ask anything else, the entire waitstaff showed up at their table with a little carrotcake with a "25" candle on it and they burst into the "Happy Birthday" song. Judy looked surprised and embarrassed but also amused. After she blew out the candle and the waitstaff clapped and then left, she said, "You goof! You had me worried there."

He shrugged. "You deserved it. Telling me to shut up, pushing me around."

"I'm sorry. I thought you liked that."

"I do. But don't expect me not to retaliate sometimes."

"More tickling?"

"Maybe. Or other things."

She blushed a little, as if unsure if she'd like what he'd serve up as "revenge." He smiled slyly and looked out the window.

Maybe more than any other district, the Rainforest is a vertical land, with buildings on or in incredibly tall trees. Nick could look up at a passing blimp or down along the waterfall into the river.

"I can see why they call it Rainbow Falls," Judy said, "the way the light catches the water."

"Uh huh."

"Thank you for taking me here. I love all of Zootopia, but I think the most magical moment of my first train ride was when I looked up at the ceiling of the observation car and saw the raindrops dancing on the glass, with all the greenery flashing by."

He looked at her again, the way her whole face lit up, especially her shining purple eyes. He wanted to say that it could never be as beautiful as she was when she was happy. But Nick didn't know how to give that sort of compliment, especially in public.

Then she looked at him and took his paw. "Nick, I don't thank you enough for all you've done for me."

"Aw, you could've solved the missing mammals case on your own. Eventually."

"Not just that. You, you talk about me being the first one to believe in you since you were a kid. But, well, you know I love my family."

"Of course."

"You also know that they haven't 100% supported my dreams. And then I came to the Big City and a sarcastic fox shot down my dreams again."

"Fluff, I—"

"Let me finish. That's why it was so incredible that, less than 48 hours later, you stood up for me, in front of my boss and my coworkers. You made me believe in myself when I was about to give in. And later, after I hurt you, you accepted my apology and asked me what my plan was. You've stuck by me at times when you could've run away."

He shrugged. "You'd have done the same for me."

"Yes. That's why, no matter what we've gone through and will go through as a couple, I want us to stay together. You are worth it. We are worth it."

He felt very self-conscious. She was holding his paw and saying something heartfelt in a restaurant. Even if they hadn't been a mixed couple, he would've felt funny about that. But he also knew that that this wasn't easy for her either. So he squeezed her paw. And he tried not to notice if anyone was looking at them.

"Eat your cake, Carrots."

She nodded and let go. She took a bite and then offered him a forkful. He hesitated and then let her feed him. It was what he had done for her on the train back from Bunnyburrow, before the giraffes got rude about it. Would their waiter come over and say that the other customers were offended by their public display of affection?

When the waiter returned, it was just with the check. Nick paid it and left a good tip. It was a nice restaurant and Judy thanked him again.

"It's your birthday. You deserve to be spoiled a little."

They had walked to the restaurant from their hotel since it wasn't far. The air was misty so they shared an umbrella, a bright purple one that Judy had picked out. Nick held it since he was taller. Judy took his other paw on the way back. And, yes, animals looked at them, but not necessarily hostilely. Some just looked surprised. Even among mixed couples, prey-predator pairs were rare. A kudu and an oryx would make far fewer heads turn.

The pavement was a little slippery so Nick and Judy strolled slowly down the curving path. Sometimes he'd look at the lush view and sometimes he'd look at his eager companion. He was glad he'd thought of this getaway. He needed it as much as she did. And the weekend was just getting started.

"Oo, there's another blimp! Nick, can we go for a ride tomorrow?"

"Anything you want, Darlin'."

She hopped up and kissed his cheek. "You are the sweetest fox ever!"

"Is that a back-pawed compliment? I mean, if Gideon Grey is the competition..."

"The sweetest mammal ever."

"Nah, not even close. Not if you're in the running."

"Oh, Nick, you're so mushy!"

"Not as mushy as you."

"Well, bunnies are highly emotional, sentimental creatures."

"Yeah, I've noticed."

"But not as emotional and sentimental as some foxes." She hip-bumped him and then ran ahead.

He chased after her, trying not to slip or crash into anyone. He caught up with her at the railing of the balcony a level above their hotel. He dropped the umbrella and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Just for that, you're going to get a neck-bite!"

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

Her eyes were now flashing him a dare and he wanted to at least nibble on her throat, but then he remembered what and where they were. He abruptly let go of her and picked up the umbrella. "Come on, Carrots." He strode ahead and she followed.

"Nick?"

He shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it in public.

When they got to their room, she said, "Nick, what did I do wrong?" Now her eyes were filling up with tears.

He sighed and closed the door behind her. He didn't want to yell at her. As calmly as he could, he said, "Judy, you forget. I'm a predator. You're prey."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with it. How do you think that looks, a fox chasing a rabbit and catching her? And then what if I gave you a hickey and somebody thinks I'm attacking you?"

"But you're my boyfriend. And you wouldn't really hurt me."

"Some animals wouldn't care. Or they wouldn't even stop to ask questions. They'd just jump to conclusions."

"But, Nick, we were just playing."

"We can't do it in public. Because it might not just be glares. I could be arrested!"

"Even if I told them what was going on?"

"Judy, a hundred years ago, we, us as a couple, we'd be illegal. Even fifty years ago, there were places where mixed couples were imprisoned, just for their relationship, even if they were married."

"But it's not like that now."

She was so naive. "Prejudice doesn't die that easily, not for everyone."

"But you're the one who was telling me last month to be brave and not care what anyone thinks."

"I know. And I wouldn't have invited you here if I didn't want us to be together. I'm just saying, let's not get crazy in public. We can be discreetly affectionate."

"But no public necking?"

"Right."

"Is this private enough?" she asked, putting her paws around his neck and pulling his face down to hers for a quick peck.

"Yeah, I think so," he said, and gave her a gentle little nibble on the neck, around the spot where he'd pretended to give her a fatal bite to fool Bellwether.

"Mmm, Nick!"

"You like?"

"Mm hm. Can I bite your neck?"

"Gently."

So she did. And it was very nice.


	21. Two Travelers & a Bear

Misfortune is the test of true friendship. —Aesop

.

Judy came back from the shower wearing not only one of the white robes with the hotel logo but also a towel around her ears. So she couldn't hear what Nick, wearing the other robe, said when he greeted her, but it did not seem to be playfully affectionate, as she would've expected. She unwrapped her ears. "What did you say?"

"I said I know what's in Chapter Thirteen."

"Huh?"

"Remember? Your friend the sheep writer?"

"Oh, Sharla, yeah." She hadn't thought about the book in weeks. She had other things on her mind.

"Well, listen to this." He turned up the volume on the TV.

"...a very controversial book," said a llama who was hosting what seemed to be some sort of round-table discussion.

"Yes," said a hyena, "but that is only one chapter in an otherwise somewhat dry and academic study."

"It's clear that the publisher, Saiga, is capitalizing on the controversy," insisted a mouse. "That's the chapter that they quote on the back of the dust-jacket."

"Well," said a bat, "it's not like mixed couples are anything new. I mean, that is the point of the book, that they've been around for centuries, in reality and in the stories we enjoy."

"I think," said the llama, "it's that it's on the one hand familiar to us and on the other hand still somewhat taboo."

"I disagree," said the hyena. "Sixty years ago was a very conservative time in some ways. But look at what the most popular television show was, _I Love Moosey_ , about a reindeer bandleader married to a wacky red elk."

The bat said, "I think sometimes how accepting the culture is of couples of different species is how similar they are. Moosey and Rudy both had antlers."

"Then how do you explain last night's vicious attack?" demanded the mouse.

The screen cut to a kudu who looked like he'd been badly beaten, being loaded into an ambulance.

"Judy, isn't that—?"

"Oh, Nick!" She put her paws to her face. It really did look like her neighbor Bucky.

Then Pronk appeared on the screen, snarling at the camera, "Bug off, you vultures!"

"No!" she gasped.

Nick put his arm around her shoulders. "Maybe it's not as bad as it looks."

The hyena said, "It may be unrelated."

"I think it's a hate crime and that book is stirring people up," said the mouse.

"You may be right," said the llama. "Rumors are that the author herself, Ms. Merino, is receiving threatening anonymous emails and comments on her website."

"No, Nick, no!" Judy sobbed.

"Fluff, don't cry!"

She couldn't help it. She hadn't seen anything this ugly in Zootopia since after she said that the predators had gone savage because of their DNA. "We need to help them!"

"Judy, what can we do?"

"I don't know. Something!"

Someone knocked.

"That's probably room service. Why don't you go splash some water on your face? We'll eat and then talk this over."

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"Carrots, you gotta eat."

He was right. She needed her strength. "OK." She went back in the bathroom and looked in the mirror. She could hear Nick talking to the room service guy, thanking him, tipping him. She wondered what the bellhop would think if he knew that Nick was there with a rabbit. Well, maybe all the hotel staff knew. She and Nick were hard to miss, even when they were just friends. Probably no one at the hotel cared, as long as Nick's money was good. She hated that she cared what other animals thought, but how could she not, especially after what had happened? Poor Bucky! And poor Pronk, too.

She sighed and turned on the faucet. Her face was still wet from the shower but she splashed it. She felt a little better.

She went back out to Nick, who had put the trays on the bed.

"Hey, Fluff, do you want to watch any more or should I change the channel?"

"Change it please." She wanted to know more about the situation but she also wanted to wait till she was calmer. She slid into bed next to him and he handed her a tray with all her breakfast favorites, from carrot juice to granola. He knew her so well, even though they'd met only a few months before. She wondered how long Bucky and Pronk had been together. She'd never thought to ask.

Nick channel-surfed until he came across a studio audience laughing at black & white shenanigans.

"Moooosey!"

"Waaa, Rudy!"

She and Nick looked at each other and smiled a little.

They didn't talk much while they ate. They just tried to enjoy the antique antics of the Rudolfos and the Wartzes.

"This is my grandfather's favorite show," she remarked at the end of the episode, as she pushed her tray aside, half eaten.

"You have a grandfather?"

"I used to have two of them."

"Ha. I mean living."

"Well, yes."

"So why didn't I get to meet him?"

"Well, um, he lives in a home. And, um."

"Yes?"

"He thinks foxes are red because the devil made them."

"Great. But red elk married to reindeer are OK?"

"No one's ever called him on that, but he'd probably just say he likes the show because it's funny and because he watched it when he was younger."

"Yeah. I guess when it's for humor, people don't mind mixed couples as much."

"I don't know. Maybe."

"I checked on Mastodon. The book is still sold out. We need to get our paws on a copy, find out we think."

"I guess. I'm more concerned with how it's making animals react. It's just a book. Why is it making them so angry, so violent?"

"The media is powerful, Fluff. Are powerful?"

"Yeah."

"I mean, you must've watched cop shows when you were a kid, right?"

"Well, yes, but when I was a teenager I also watched rom-coms about couples who'd bicker until they realized they were in love."

He smiled. "They don't show that the bickering continues as part of the relationship."

"Right. Well, I think we have constructive disagreements."

"Nice."

"Thank you."

They kissed and then he moved his tray out of the way and she snuggled up against him. She thought about how much Bucky and Pronk seemed to thrive on bickering. She realized she would miss it herself if they stopped.

"So, Carrots, what's the plan?"

"I want to find out from Bogo, or maybe Clawhauser, if charges have been pressed against Bucky's attacker, or attackers. And I want to find out if there have been similar attacks. And then, I don't know."

"You want to take on the case," Nick said. It wasn't a question.

"Well, yes, if the Chief will let us."

"He might not. Considering who and what we are."

"Yes, but I want to at least try for it. I want to serve and protect, especially couples like us."

"And your friend the sheep."

"Yes. I wonder if she's in an interspecies relationship herself."

"Could be. She must have some interest in it. Unless it was just another chapter to her and didn't mean anything special."

"I need to call her. But first I want to go visit Bucky in the hospital, if they're allowing visitors. If not, we can at least talk to Pronk, see how he's doing."

"What if he tells you to bug off?"

She couldn't laugh. "I can still try."

"OK. Let's get dressed, pack up, and check out."

"I'm sorry about our weekend."

He shook his head. "I love you, Fluff. And part of why I love you is because you want to save the world, even though you're just a delicate, fragile, adorable little bunny."

"Nick, not now."

He kissed her forehead. "OK."

"I love you, Nick. And thank you for supporting me."

"Of course."


	22. The Oxen & the Wheels

They complain most who suffer least. —Aesop

.

"No, I'm sorry. We're not allowing visitors at this time, except for family." The horse receptionist gave them a look like they clearly weren't related to a kudu.

"Oh, thank you." Judy stepped away from the desk. Nick lightly put his arm around her shoulders. He wasn't going to let what had happened keep him from offering her comfort when she needed it.

They walked over to the chairs and sat down. They knew they should head home, but he had the feeling she wasn't ready to face her apartment without Bucky on the other side of the wall. It was funny how, even though the Antler Boys could be annoying and they definitely put a crimp on Nick's love life with their eavesdropping, he'd grown to like them. And since Judy had known them longer and was a lot more soft-hearted than Nick was, he knew that this had hit her hard.

Judy rested her head on Nick's shoulder. He stroked her drooping ears.

"Let me know when you're ready to go."

She nodded.

"Can you let me know if there's any change in my brother's condition?"

Judy's head snapped up at the sound of Pronk's voice and Nick looked over, too.

"Of course, Sir. Go home and get some rest," said the horse.

"Thank you, I will," Pronk said. He walked out the door, apparently without noticing Nick and Judy.

They looked at each other, picked up the suitcases they'd stowed under their seats, and followed the oryx out to the parking lot. They caught up with him just as he started his car.

"What do you two want?" he snapped.

"Hey, Buddy, we could use a lift back to the Grand Pangolin Arms, if you're heading that way."

Pronk sighed wearily. "Get in the backseat and don't expect me to help you with your luggage."

"Thanks, Pal."

No one said anything else until they were on the road, then Pronk said, "Aren't you two supposed to be having a romantic getaway?"

"Uh, we cut it short."

"How is he? How's Bucky?" Judy asked anxiously.

"Oh, you heard about that."

"Yeah, on television," Nick said.

"I told those stupid reporters to leave us alone. It's none of their business."

"Then you don't want to talk about it," Judy said.

Pronk shrugged. "What's there to say? Some jerks saw us in a bar together and they didn't like it so they beat him up in the restroom."

Nick looked at Judy as he thought about how he'd feared a negative reaction to them at the March Hare and nothing bad had happened. And that was a bunny bar, where Nick was definitely out of place.

"Pronk," Judy said gently, "why did you tell the receptionist Bucky is your brother?"

"They're just letting family see him. And some people think we're brothers or stepbrothers because we argue a lot and we have antlers. She's a horse, so she probably knew I was lying, but she let it go."

"Are you two—? I mean, you have the same last name."

"We're not legally married, no. But we've been together a long time. I guess I could've told her I was his husband, as long as I was telling white lies. But it's just easier to say 'brother' sometimes."

Nick thought about how different this was from his situation with Judy. He was never going to try to pass her off as his sister. But then, Bucky and Pronk could probably go most places together without turning heads. He was surprised actually that someone had picked up on the two males being different species.

"Do you know who attacked him?"

"He couldn't talk too clearly when I found him on the floor," Pronk said flatly.

Judy started crying quietly, as if she had to feel some of the emotions that Pronk refused to express.

"Rabbit, you bawling about it doesn't help me."

"I'm sorry," Judy sniffled. Nick handed her a handkerchief. She dried her eyes and then said, "We do want to help."

"As neighbors or as cops?"

"Whatever you need."

"Well, I've reported it to the police of course and they're looking into it. As a neighbor, well, you could clean our apartment."

"I think Judy was suggesting more along the lines of moral support."

"I'm not the one crying here!"

"I just feel so bad for both of you."

"Well, thank you. That's better than my mom. She said, 'I'm sorry it happened but this is one of the reasons why I didn't want you two to get together.' "

"Oh, Pronk!"

"I'm used to this. And do you think your mom would say any different if it happened to Wilde?"

Nick expected her to say, "My family loves Nick. They have doubts but they're really starting to accept him." Instead she quietly said, "I don't know."

"Fluff!" he whispered.

"Nick, I don't know. They wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you of course, but they might feel like, well, not that it's our fault but like we could've prevented it by not being seen in public together. As a couple I mean."

"Uh huh," said Pronk. "And you two have it worse than we do. At least we're not a pred-prey mix."

"How did they even know you guys weren't the same species?" Nick asked. "I mean, it's not obvious."

"We were joking about it, and I guess someone overheard us."

"Do you— Do you think it has something to do with the new book?" Judy asked.

"What new book?"

"The one with the chapter on mixed couples in stories and legends."

"Oh, _Zut Alors_ or whatever it's called? Yeah, I've heard of it but I haven't read it."

"We haven't either but we'd like to," Nick said. He waited to see if Judy would admit her friend wrote it, but she didn't.

Instead, she said, "Do you think the book is creating a climate where these kinds of acts of violence are going to become more common?"

"You sound like a reporter. There are always going to be violent jerks. They don't need much excuse."

Nick didn't agree or disagree. When he was bullied by the Junior Ranger Scouts, the ringleader had made it very clear that it was because Nick was a fox. However, he could imagine the pack picking on someone else for being fat or wearing glasses or whatever.

"So you're saying we should just accept this?" The feisty side of Judy had been awakened.

"Of course not. If I'd known what was happening, I would've gone in there with a barstool and taken them all out."

Nick smiled a little at the sort of chivalrous impulse. He would've done the same if it had happened to Judy. Then he frowned, hating to think of anyone harming Judy. Yes, she was a cop but a part of him refused to believe that she was anything less than invincible.

"We'll take them out for you! Uh, not with a barstool. And through legal means."

"Uh, Fluff, there's no guarantee Chief Buffalo-Butt is going to give us the case."

Pronk snickered. "Is that what you call your boss?"

"Well, not to his face."

"Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it. Oh, look, we're home. Awkward conversation ends now, mmkay?"

"Whatever you want," Nick said, himself glad it was ending.

"Remember, if you need anything, we're here for you."

"Hey, Bunny, you're welcome to come over and vacuum any time."

"Thank you."

Pronk parked the car and they all got out, Nick and Judy with their suitcases. The three of them made their way to the front door and it felt even more awkward. Nick pictured Judy giving Pronk a hug when they got to their floor, and that would be even more awkward.

Nick stopped at the mailboxes. "Uh, Fluff, let me check my mail."

"OK." She looked like she was going to give the hug now. Nick braced himself, hoping it wouldn't go too badly.

Then their landlady appeared and said, "OK, who wants their monthly de-lousing? Dr. Les Poux is set up in the basement."

"Oh boy," Nick murmured.


	23. The Crow & the Pitcher

In a pinch a good use of our wits may help us out. —Aesop

.

"Wilde, Hopps, patrolling the perimeter of Little Rodentia."

Judy jumped out of their chair and she could hear Nick following more slowly as she caught up with the cape buffalo at the door. "Chief? Chief Bogo? Did you get my messages?"

The police chief turned. "You mean the 113 phone messages, 437 text messages, and five heart-felt emails?"

"Um, yes."

Nick gave her a look that said _I told you you were overdoing it._ But she couldn't help it. Bogo was also off that weekend and he hadn't responded to anything, so she kept trying. Nick had told her they would probably have to wait till they were the last ones in the bullpen Monday morning, and he was right, as he often was.

"Hopps, there are already officers assigned to investigating the beating of the kudu. They don't need your help."

"But, Sir, I feel so helpless!"

"That's not really a recommendation for you to take on the case, is it?"

"What she means, Sir, is that she wants to help in the way that she was trained for. And she was top of her class. As was I."

"Yes, I remember. Look, I understand that the victim is your neighbor and you take a personal interest. But that's exactly why I don't want you on the case."

"Sir, caring just makes me try harder," Judy said. "I wanted to solve the missing mammals case from the beginning, but when it became a personal pledge to Mrs. Otterton, I gave it my all."

"I remember that, too."

"Sir, if I may," Nick said, "as you might recall, I had a very personal interest in the Canal District drownings."

"Go on," Bogo said, still gruffly but a little more sympathetically.

"And, well, that case was a mess. It still is. The last I heard, you've got tons of conflicting testimony, where everyone and no one is guilty."

"Nick," Judy said, worried about where this was going.

"But the point is, you've got more than you had a couple months ago. Because of us. Judy and I are a crackerjack team. Yes, we don't, she especially doesn't, approach anything in a linear, by-the-book fashion, but we get the job done."

"And that's why I haven't fired you two, yet. Well, that and you haven't been necking in your squad car."

Judy blushed of course. Nick of course didn't.

"And we appreciate that. You may be right. Maybe we shouldn't handle the kudu case, especially if other officers are on it."

"Nick," Judy said at the same time that Bogo said, "Wilde," both of them wondering where he was going with this.

He held up his paw for silence. "However, rumor has it that the author of a certain controversial book has been getting threatening messages."

"Well, yes," the Chief hesitantly admitted. "The harassment has all been anonymous and we haven't been able to trace it. We might have to hand it over to the ZBI. Unless one of you is an IP tracker."

"No, we'll leave that to the experts. However, we would like to offer our protection to the author."

"Oh. And why is that?"

Judy wanted to say that she'd grown up with Sharla and she'd tutored the sheep in Math in exchange for help in Language Arts. They'd played hopscotch and performed plays and gone to the movies and shared their dreams. They'd done sleepovers and secret Easter Bunny exchanges and faced bullies together. She'd protected Sharla fifteen and a half years ago and she wanted to do it again. But that would mean that she'd be admitting to a personal interest, and the Chief would see that as a negative, even if Nick had helped to solve the CD case despite his own near drowning and his father's death long ago.

"I know you're thinking it's because Judy and I are a mixed couple, and you're right."

"Nick!" He'd just made it very personal.

"Go on."

"We're a great mix. She's eager and emotional and can kick a rhino's tail. I'm sly and reserved and can figure out how criminals think."

"And neither of you is averse to consorting with criminals, not even the most feared crime boss in Tundratown."

"Oh, you know about that."

"Sir, about Mr. Big—" Judy began.

"Hopps, did you think that I wouldn't notice that on the Next of Kin page of your file, in addition to your parents, numerous siblings, and nearly as numerous nieces and nephews, you put 'goddaughter, Judith Petruchio'?"

"You have a whole page?" Nick asked her. "I just used the one line."

Bogo said, "It's two-sided and in very small font. But that name jumped out at me."

"Yes, Sir, it's true. I saved Fru Fru Big-Petruchio's life and she saved ours. And, yes, I'm godmother to her oldest child. But that doesn't mean—"

"Did you or did you not have Mr. Big threaten Duke Wesleton with 'icing'? And I don't mean the kind on cakes."

"It's Weaselton, Sir," Nick corrected.

"Well, yes, Sir, but we were just bluffing."

"Good. OK, I'll talk to Ms. Merino's publisher and see if they want a team of unorthodox but effective officers guarding their most valuable author."

Judy stared at the Chief. She hadn't expected him to give in so easily. She looked at Nick, who smirked a little.

"Meanwhile, you can practice by guarding the Little Rodentians another day."

"Thank you, Sir," she said.

"Yeah, thanks, Chief, we're on our way."

Judy waited till they were parked outside the LR gates, the same gates that she had slipped under when pursuing Weaselton, little realizing all that that would lead to, before she said, "So we've got the case."

"Yeah, but not the case you had your heart set on."

"No, it's fine. Thank you. Your approach was better, making it personal but not too personal."

He shrugged. "He'll probably figure out that you knew the Merinos growing up, since her online bio mentions she grew up in Bunnyburrow, but that's all right. I just didn't want us to start out from that point."

She nodded. "Got it. And maybe by helping her, we can put a stop to future attacks like the one on Bucky."

"Maybe. But you know, Fluff, you can't save the world."

"Maybe not. But I can save my corner of it."

He toasted his coffee mug against her liter of carrot juice. "Our corner."


	24. The Musical Donkey

Think before you act. —The Panchatantra

.

"We have an appointment with Ms. Steppe."

"Yes, please be seated. She'll be with you shortly."

"Thank you."

Nick took a seat near the window. Saiga Sagas was in the publishing district on Peak Street, and this was the twelfth floor, so the view was impressive. "Hey, Fluff, come look."

She was pacing. She had a lot of thwarted energy the last few days, some of it from not being able to immediately right the wrongs and defend the innocent.

She came over. "What?"

"You can see for miles from here."

"Yeah, nice."

OK, she wasn't in the mood to be distracted by scenery. He wished that they had had a chance to see more of the Rainforest District. Maybe they could go back sometime.

Peak Street is in the Northeast corner of the Downtown district and, depending what window he looked out of, Nick could see the Rainforest or Tundratown. He'd probably be able to see Sahara Square from the opposite side of the reception area.

"Officer Wilde? Officer Hopps?"

Nick turned and saw Tatarica Steppe, Sharla's publisher. She was, unsurprisingly, a saiga, with the ridged antlers and large nose of that kind of antelope. Nick got to his feet as Judy went over to shake her hoof.

"Thank you for meeting with us."

"Thank you. Thank you both."

Nick came over and the publisher shook his paw. Then she gestured for them to enter her office ahead of her. They did and this time Judy did sit down, although Nick could tell that she was still trying to hold in her nervous energy.

Ms. Steppe closed the door and came around to her desk, perching on it. "So, does the police chief know?"

Nick and Judy looked cautiously at each other. What exactly was she asking? Nick sent Judy a mental message of _Let me take this_. As he'd done with "So, you know about the Night Howlers too?," he said, "Well, it's not exactly something we advertise."

"There's no shame in it."

"Well, no, of course not."

"After all, there are 81 million mammals there, so it's not like it's a little Podunk."

Judy bristled and Nick hoped she wouldn't go off on the publisher. Nick stepped in again. "Yeah, it's a thriving burrow."

"That's what I hear. And we here at Saiga love that Sharla is a country sheep. I think that that's what makes Zootopia so vital, that mammals come from all over, adding to the mix."

"Yeah, totally. I mean, I'm a city boy myself but I know what you mean."

"Yes. But I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing that Sharla and Officer Hopps grew up together."

"Do you mean good or bad for publicity?" Judy said.

Why did that have to be her first contribution to this conversation? Nick wasn't sure how he could spin that.

But the saiga laughed. "Well, I don't think we'll be mentioning your protection. That would defeat the purpose, right?"

"Do you find death threats funny, Ms. Steppe?"

Nick would've been listening in disbelief if he hadn't been a witness to Judy's initial defiance of Mr. Big. This time, he knew he couldn't claim that Judy was a mime.

The publisher frowned. "No, of course not. I assure you that we here at Saiga take the threats to Ms. Merino very seriously. And I appreciate you offering your services to her. But obviously drawing attention to those threats by letting the public know that she'll be guarded by her childhood friend, a bunny no less, would be counter-productive."

Were these two setting out to offend each other? Nick knew from personal experience how easily irritated Judy could be, but he would've expected a publisher to have a little more tact. He felt like it was his role to smooth things out between them but he wasn't sure how.

"I'm a cop. I'm a good cop. My being a bunny, or being from Bunnyburrow, has nothing to do with how well I do my job, including how well I could protect Ms. Merino."

"Well, I think it does," Ms. Steppe said.

Nick facepawmed. He gave up. They were both hopeless.

"Oh, really?" Judy said and he could picture her eyes narrowing.

"Yes, because I think it's going to make you try harder."

Nick looked up again and saw Judy grin.

"Exactly."

"Look, Officer Hopps, I am concerned about Sharla. Just as concerned as you are. And that's why I need to make sure that you, and Officer Wilde, are the right ones to protect her."

"We are. Not only are we a wonderful team, but we are perfect for this case. My knowledge of Sharla and her background is a plus. And Nick is very good at figuring out how animals think."

"Well, sometimes," he said modestly.

"And you're a couple, aren't you?"

"Um, well," Judy said.

"Have you read the book yet?"

"I've downloaded it to my Brindle but I haven't had a chance to look at it," Nick said. He'd done it on the train ride over.

"Remember, you'll need to read the whole book, not just Chapter Thirteen."

"We will," Judy said, "but I don't think us being a couple has anything to do with the case, does it?"

"You'll understand when you read the book. My secretary will give you complimentary print copies on your way out, along with directions to the safehouse where Sharla is hiding."

"Thank you," Judy said, jumping to her feet and shaking Ms. Steppe's hoof again.

"Yeah, thanks," Nick said, slowly getting to his feet but feeling confused. So they were going to just head over to the safehouse? What kind of safehouse was it? And what exactly would their protection of Sharla consist of? And if the threats were mostly online, what would their physical presence achieve? He realized he should've asked some of these questions before, but he'd assumed that meeting with the publisher would clear things up, rather than add to the confusion. Well, maybe Sharla would explain when they got there. He went over and shook the publisher's hoof. "We'll be in touch."


	25. Beginning

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. —Laozi

.

 _"Chapter One: The Watering Hole,"_ Nick read aloud.

Judy looked at him in surprise. "You're actually going to read it in order?"

"Of course. Why? Are you going to skip ahead to Chapter Thirteen?"

"Well, probably," she admitted.

He shook his head. "No spoilers please. Hmm, interesting."

"What?"

"Nah, I'm not gonna spoil it." He went back to scrolling through his Brindle.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to download it. She loved having music on her Ipawd, but she also loved the tactile sensations of books. She reached for her print copy and was going to skim the Table of Contents, but then she decided she'd at least read the first chapter before skipping ahead.

 _Chapter One: The Watering Hole_

 _This is where the legends begin, at times indistinguishable from our history. True, there are older legends, from thousands of years ago, when fear, treachery, and blood lust ruled our world..."_

Judy smiled a little. That sentence was close to what she and Sharla had written in the Carrots Day play. It had made for a very dramatic opening, with Jaguar pretending to attack Judy, although he was a gentle cub, not at all predatory, unlike Gideon in those days. Although they were only nine years old, she and Sharla had liked the idea of a dark beginning leading to the uplifting ending. They knew enough about story-telling for that.

 _...but these are legends of darkness, while the "watering hole" stories are ones of hope and unity. Even when the world was divided into two unequal parts, vicious predators and meek prey, every mammal had something in common: the need for water to sustain life. In the modern era, we take water for granted most of the time. It's always there, for drinking, bathing, swimming, gardening. Sometimes, in the form of rain, it may be more present than we want._

 _It's hard to relate to a time when water was precious, when animals would come from miles away for just a drop of it. Try to imagine what that time was like, when every mammal from the smallest rodent to the largest pachyderm, sought out the watering hole._

 _(And here let us pause for a moment to consider that we're looking at legends about unity and universality, and yet they by definition exclude the mammals who live in the sea.)_

"We're here."

Judy looked up from the book. "That was quick."

"Well, it was only two stops away."

She nodded. They were on the Lavender Line, which ran from Peak Street through the southwest corner of Tundratown. Nick had pointed out that it was one of the two routes shaped more like a U than a loop, the other being the Magenta, or Animalia Line, in the southern half of Savanna Central. There was still a lot of the ZTA system that Judy was unfamiliar with, but Nick had carried a mental map of it for years.

She put her book away and followed Nick off the train and out of the station. Even though they had traveled for only a few minutes, the climate was completely different. She should be used to that by now, but she wasn't.

This was Taiga Street and it had both swamps and pine trees, which Nick had told her came from being in the part of Tundratown that bordered the Rainforest. The scenery was both dramatic and peaceful. It made sense to put a safehouse there, especially since there didn't seem to be many animals around.

Their directions beyond the train station were in a sealed envelope, which Judy now opened.

"How far is it?" Nick asked.

She showed him the enclosed map.

"So it looks like a bit of a hike but we can do it."

"Right. I'm just wondering. Should we have gone back home first? I mean, we're going to be there awhile, right? We're going to need several changes of clothes and toothbrushes and everything." They'd headed out that morning not knowing if they'd do more than just talk to Ms. Steppe that day. She realized now that they hadn't fully thought this through.

He shrugged. "We'll check it out, talk to your friend. And then you can stay with her while I go home and get our stuff. Maybe Bogo will let me take a vehicle, so I'm not schlepping the luggage cross town."

She smiled at the word "schlep." Every once in awhile, Nick would throw in a Big-City word that no one in Bunnyburrow used. She could usually figure out the meaning from the context.

"Meanwhile," he continued, "we're on foot so let's get going."

She nodded and they headed to the foothills. She thought of how, other than two exciting, adventurous cases, a lot of her time as a police officer involved sitting around. Her brief stint as a meter maid had been comparatively active, although that was mostly because of her ambition to hand out twice the expected number of traffic tickets, not to mention chasing Weaselton through Little Rodentia. This case would probably be mostly sitting around as well, unless someone did threaten Sharla in person. Perhaps she and Nick would take turns guarding the perimeter of the safehouse.

"Nick, what do you think the safehouse will be like?"

He didn't answer right away, partly because the path was getting steeper and probably partly because he was thinking it over. Then he said, "I'm not sure. Is this something set up by the ZPD or by the publisher? Or someone else? Usually safehouses are remote, which this sort of is, and nondescript, which this probably is."

She nodded. She could sort of picture it. They walked in silence through a thicket of conifers and then they came to a clearing.

"Hm," Nick said, "looks more like a safe house, with a space in the middle."


	26. The Hawks & Their Friends

Friends in need are friends indeed. —The Jataka Tales

.

Nick wasn't sure what he'd been expecting. Maybe a spooky old abandoned-looking mansion. Maybe some old shack. Or maybe some state-of-the-art, MC Cheshire style, surreal-looking fortress. But this was a house, no, a cottage. It looked safe not because it was frightening but because it was so cozy, like nothing bad could possibly happen in or near it.

"So you think your friend is inside, Fluff?"

"I hope so. Nick, there are no gates."

"Yeah, not even a white picket fence."

They approached the building cautiously, like it was a trap. What if it was the Bellwether of cottages, innocent on the surface, evil underneath? But when they got to the door, Judy knocked and said, "Sharla, it's us. Judy and Nick."

Nick stood ready to attack anyone who answered the door that wasn't the sheep author. He hoped they weren't being set up for an ambush. Maybe they should've brought back-up. What if this safehouse wasn't that safe, for them or Sharla?

They waited a minute, then Judy looked at him, as if she wasn't sure what to do next. He didn't know either. Should they break in, keep waiting, or back off? Well, they should probably investigate, try to find out what happened to Sharla.

The door slowly creaked open. Nick braced himself again. Then someone rushed out and at Judy. He was about to pull the mammal off his partner, when he realized that Sharla was hugging Judy.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!"

"Sharla, are you all right?"

"Yes, just scared." The sheep let go of the bunny.

"Has anyone threatened you in person?" Nick asked.

"No, but it's nerve-wracking being out here alone in the middle of nowhere. But I couldn't stay in Bunnyburrow and put my parents and Gareth at risk."

"It's OK. You're not alone anymore," Judy said.

"Thank you both."

"Of course," Judy said.

"We should probably get inside, just in case," Sharla said. She led them into a living room that had doilies and knitted blankets on the overstuffed sofa and chairs.

Nick shut the door behind them and then quietly asked, "Do you think you're being watched?"

"I hope not. It's just I'm trying to stay out of sight, just in case."

"I don't think we were followed or anything," Judy said, looking around nervously.

"No, it's fine. It's mostly cyber harassment at this point."

"Yeah, I saw the Mastodon reviews." _Disgusting and distorted view of mammality_ was the heading on Nick's "favorite" one-star reaction.

Sharla shook her head. "It's worse at my website. And on the Saiga website."

"I'll have to check them out."

"Nick," Judy quietly scolded.

"Judy, we've got to know what we're dealing with."

"He's right. But first of all, have you two had lunch yet?"

"Uh, no."

"Sharla, you don't have to cook for us," Judy said. "It's not like we're guests. I mean—"

"No, I know, but I like to cook. And, really, I don't have much else to occupy my time." Sharla sighed. "It's funny, writers always say that if only they had some peace and quiet, they could write so much. And maybe that's true for novelists. But I can't do the research that I want. I obviously can't go to a library or bookstore. And sometimes the Internet connection isn't great out here."

"Oh." Nick wished they could get a case where he didn't have to worry about being cut off from civilization for days or maybe weeks at a time.

"Maybe that's just as well," Judy said. "I mean about not getting a good signal. You don't want someone tracing your location that way."

"Well, some of the animals threatening me don't seem to have high-tech skills. Some of them can hardly write a clear sentence. But you have a point."

"So what food have you got?"

Judy gave him a look like he was Clawhauser or something, like he was always thinking with his stomach, but he was just trying to change the subject. And he was curious about it.

"Tatarica, you know my publisher?"

"Yeah, we met her," Nick said before Judy could talk about their clash.

"Well, she went to Frostco and got me enough food to last a month. There's a deep freezer in the basement."

Nick thought, but knew better than to say, that a deep freezer in the basement sounded like the set-up for a horror movie. If this ended up with the publisher trying to stuff their three bodies into the freezer, Nick was going to be very annoyed.

"Oh, good," Judy said, apparently not having similar concerns.

Sharla made them fish and chips, with forbs as a garnish. It was good. The conversation around the lunch table was light, mostly about Judy and Sharla's families and childhoods. Judy did give him a look that said, _You're not feeling left out, are you?_ He sent back a look that said, _It's fine, Carrots, don't worry about it._

It occurred to him that he and Judy didn't spend much time hanging out with anyone besides each other. They spent all day at work together, and then all their time off together. She hadn't been to visit Fru Fru and little Judy in weeks, although the bunny and shrew kept in touch through social media. And Nick hadn't really communicated with any of his other friends in awhile, not since he left for the Police Academy, now that he thought about it. Well, Finnick and the rest would have to wait till this case was wrapped up, which might take awhile. At least Judy would get plenty of girl-talk, while still being a kick-tail cop and bodyguard of course.

After they were done eating and he and Judy thanked Sharla for the meal, he said, "I need to get our stuff from home. I'll come back as soon as I can."

Sharla looked worried, whether for his sake or her own, he didn't know.

Judy said, "He'll be OK. Nick can take care of himself."

Nick smiled at her and then looked at Sharla. "And you'll be OK. Judy can take care of herself, and anyone she feels protective of."

Both females smiled at him. Then Sharla looked from him to Judy and said, "Um, I think I'll do the dishes."

"Do you need help?" Judy offered.

"No, it's OK."

Nick picked up that Sharla was giving them a chance to say goodbye in relative privacy. He took Judy's paw as soon as Sharla went into the kitchen. He whispered in her ear, "It will be all right."

"I know." She hugged him.

He squeezed her tight. He knew he would see her again, as soon as possible, but for some reason it wasn't easy to go. Maybe it was that they hadn't been apart since he came back from the Academy.

She tilted her head up and he put his paw gently under her slightly pointed little chin. They kissed softly but for a long time. He wondered if this was going to be weird and awkward staying with her friend for an unknown length of time, especially since they would also be on duty. Well, he wasn't going to go weeks without hugging and kissing his girlfriend, no matter how awkward it might get.

He reluctantly pulled away. "I should go."

She nodded. "Be careful out there."

"Hey, I've been looking out for myself for over twenty years."

"I know. But you're not on your own anymore."

He kissed her cheek. "And that gives me all the more reason to survive."


	27. The Wolf & the Shepherd

Once a wolf, always a wolf. —Aesop

.

 _...From such humble beginnings, where predator and prey peacefully gathered together to slake their thirst, grew the great city of Zootopia. Much has changed in the thousands of years since, but you can take the Animalia Line of the ZTA to its terminus of Watering Hole, now more known for its contributions to the music industry than for liquid refreshment, although there are some popular bars of note._

Judy looked up from the book to see Sharla knitting socks. Her friend looked shy and innocent. It was hard to picture her hanging out in bars, although of course Judy knew her less well than she did when they were kids.

Sharla looked over at her. "If it's weird for you to read that in front of me, I understand."

"No, I don't mind if you don't mind."

Sharla shrugged. "You can't say anything worse about it than what I've heard so far."

Judy gave her a look of sympathy but didn't really know what to say. She was planning to not read any of the negative feedback until she'd at least skimmed most of the book.

She flipped ahead a few pages.

 _Chapter Two: Before the Beginning_

 _The watering hole was atypical of the ancient world, a world where prey were scared of predators. And predators had an uncontrollable, biological urge to maim and maul, and kill. These dark beginnings are ones that we try to ignore, gloss over. But the shadow of those times looms over us. We still speak of the descendants of the predatory animals as "predators." Even if a wolf lives on grains and vegetables, we notice the teeth, the claws, the howling. For some of the descendants of the animals who were preyed upon, this is enough to send chills up their spines. We can tell ourselves that we're civilized, but in our guts, do we believe it?_

 _Some are able to get past the ancient fears and prejudices, while others are trapped in them. And a few manipulate them for their own benefit._

 _Before we look at stories of how the predators evolved past their primitive, savage ways, we need to face the stories of what life was like in the dim past. This book will not address how true these stories were, but rather their impact on our ancestors, and on us. Only then can we fully understand the stories that tell of getting past these fears._

It sounded like it would be a heavy, depressing read, that chapter at least if not the whole book. She wasn't sure if she was in the mood for it. And she felt some residual guilt because she had unknowingly played into Bellwether's plans. The assistant mayor had used Judy's prejudice that Judy hadn't even recognized until she saw the anger and hurt in Nick's eyes.

It was almost a relief when she heard a twig snap outside. She and Sharla both looked up.

"It's probably nothing," Judy whispered, "but I'll go take a look."

Sharla nodded.

Judy got out of the cushy chair and stepped lightly but quickly to the window. She peered through the lacy gingham curtains. She didn't see anyone out there. She decided to step outside. She didn't know why she felt so nervous about this. Was it that Nick wasn't around? Had she become too reliant on him? It wasn't a matter of him protecting her, because she was the better fighter. But it was so reassuring to have him around, wisecracking, boosting her confidence, challenging her. Still, she knew she had to do some things on her own, not use her partner as a crutch.

She cautiously opened the door and stepped outside, shutting the door behind her. She tried to recall all her training at the Academy and after. She needed to be on the defensive but not too defensive. Able to respond quickly if necessary.

And then she saw what had caused the noise. There was a sparrow gathering twigs. It looked at her, with its intelligent dark eyes, tilting its head to see her with both. She thought of stories of lands where birds were sapient and had civilizations of their own. She wondered if Sharla had written about those stories and what she said about them.

Then the sparrow flew off, probably to its nest. Judy felt a strange sense of peace, even as she explored the perimeter of the clearing and a few yards down the path. She was still poised and aware, but also relaxed.

Sharla met her at the door when she returned. "Is everything OK?"

"Yes, it was just a bird."

"Good. Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, thank you." She was learning that this was how Sharla was repaying her for looking out for her, being a friend. Judy knew that this wasn't going to be easy, the three of them cooped up in one house, however pleasant a house. But it was certainly going to be easier than if the animal they were protecting wasn't so nice. Judy hated to admit it to herself, but if she had had to protect Bucky and Pronk, her neighbors probably would've irritated her the entire time.

She picked up the book again but didn't want to face Chapter Two right then. Maybe later. She wondered if there were lighter, more cheerful chapters further on. She was about to turn to the table of contents, when Sharla said, "Judy, I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it, but what's going on with you and Nick?"

Judy set down the book. "I guess you should know. Since we'll be spending so much time with you. And if you're uncomfortable with it, please say something. They can send other officers here, or I can handle it by myself if you prefer."

"Judy, I'm not uncomfortable, really. I just want to understand the situation."

"OK." Judy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He and I started out as, I don't want to say enemies, but we didn't hit it off. But I was a rookie cop with a lot to prove and I knew he would be useful in solving the big case I'd taken on. And maybe on some level I was drawn to him, despite myself. He was, well, not exactly cooperative."

Sharla smiled. "Let me get the tea. I think this story is going to take awhile."

"I can give you the short version."

"No, I like long stories."

Judy nodded and smiled. That made sense.

When Sharla brought the two cups of tea, they sat across from each other at the redwood coffee table. Judy ended up telling the "red wood" story and some of the other details of her early encounters with Nick. She realized she was rambling and going out of order, but Sharla didn't act like she minded. Judy couldn't help wondering if Sharla would use this in a book someday, but even if she changed the names, everyone would know who it was about. Well, Sharla probably wouldn't do that without permission. But she could imagine that if Sharla were a novelist, she might use the dynamic between Nick and Judy for original characters.

It felt good to talk about Nick. She hadn't really been able to talk so freely before. Sharla didn't seem to judge or even interpret. She just listened. It wasn't exactly girl-talk like with Judy's sisters. Sharla didn't oo and aw, or express concerns. She just nodded and said things like, "I see. What happened then?"

"If you had asked me a couple months ago if I was in love with him, I would've said no."

"Because he's your best friend or because he's a fox?"

Judy was startled by the question but she tried to answer honestly. "Both I guess. Even though I try not to put animals in categories, even though I try to see beyond labels, I, well, I wouldn't exactly say we were in the friend-zone. That implies that one of us had seriously considered being more than friends. But I think maybe because our friendship was so precious, and we'd lost it for awhile, there was no such thing as 'just friends.' I mean, that makes it sound like friendship is less than a romantic relationship. I'm sorry, I'm babbling."

"No, go on. I understand."

"Well, anyway, there was that. And, yes, I knew about inter-species relationships, but it wasn't really something I ever imagined for myself. To be honest, well, you know what Bunnyburrow is like, especially for bunnies."

Sharla nodded. "Marry young, have lots of kits."

"Exactly. So I was already going against that by moving to the city. I wasn't looking for a relationship with anyone, especially not a fox."

"But you have one."

"Yes. I think, well, Nick being a fox is part of who he is, and I would never change that. But if I didn't love him, I don't think I'd have gotten past all my fears and doubts about getting involved with him."

Sharla nodded. "I understand."

"Do you have a—?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I'm being nosy."

"It's OK. What were you going to say?"

"Are you involved with anyone?"

Sharla looked down into her tea cup, as if reading her fortune from the leaves. "No, but I, well, we can talk about it when you finish the book."

"Oh. OK." Not for the first time, Judy wondered in what way Chapter Thirteen was related to inter-species relationships, and if something painful had happened in Sharla's past. Clearly, Sharla wasn't ready to talk about it, which Judy respected. She hoped that her old friend would open up to her later. She just didn't know if she could resist skipping ahead to Chapter Thirteen.

She wished she could talk about all this with Nick. She hoped he would return soon. She was enjoying her time with Sharla, but she missed Nick the moment he walked out the front door. She'd grown so used to having him to discuss things with, to bounce ideas off of, to argue with.

She sipped some more tea and then Sharla offered to bake cookies. Judy said OK but went to help her this time.


	28. The Two Pots

Equals make the best friends. —Aesop

.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you hitchhiking is dangerous?"

Nick would know that deep voice anywhere. He dropped his thumb and turned around. "Yeah, some creepy guy in a van might come along."

"You want a ride or not?"

"Yes, thank you, Kind Sir."

Nick opened up the passenger's door and put the suitcases on the floor. Then he got in the seat and buckled up.

"Running away from home?" Finnick asked as he started up the van.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"The purple suitcase is new."

"Yeah, but it's not mine."

"The bunny's, huh?"

"Well, yeah."

"Oh, so you're eloping and she's making you carry the luggage to the rendezvous spot."

"Not quite."

"Where is the rendezvous?"

"On the western edge of Tundratown."

"I just happen to be heading to Tundratown."

"You're not still running the Pawpsicle scam, are you?"

Finnick shook his head. "Not after I lost my partner."

Nick felt a little guilty, even though when he'd gone to Finnick and said, "Don't laugh, but I'm thinking about becoming a cop," Finnick said, "I knew you'd take that badge sticker seriously," and then wished him luck. And even before that, when Nick felt betrayed by Judy, his heart hadn't really been in hustling anymore, so he and Finnick just worked together every once in awhile, not every day like before.

"So what are you up to these days?"

"I ain't tellin' a cop that."

"So it's not exactly legal."

"It's as legal as what you used to do."

"Got it."

"What about you? You don't even get a little golf cart like the meter maid got?"

Nick sighed. "We have a cruiser, but our boss doesn't want us taking it out for our undercover work." He didn't want to go into the conversation with Bogo he'd had earlier.

Finnick leered. "Undercover, huh?"

"Don't be crude, Sherman."

"Hey, watch that 'Sherman' crap!"

Nick smiled a little. He was one of the very few animals that knew not only that "Finnick" was a nickname but what the little fox's real name was.

"Sorry," Nick said insincerely.

Finnick grunted. "You think this van's gonna attract less attention than a police vehicle?"

"You can drop me off near my destination rather than at it."

"I don't get to see the bunny?"

"We'll have you over for dinner sometime."

"You two shackin' up?"

"Technically no."

" 'Technically no,' " Finnick mimicked. "You haven't changed much, have you?"

"In some ways no."

"What's the deal with you and the bunny anyway?"

"What have you heard?"

"You skunk-butt, can't you answer a damn question without giving me a no-answer answer or another damn question?"

"I'm sorry. What do you want to know?"

"OK, first of all, are you together?"

"Well, we are partners on the ZPD."

"Yeah, I know that. I saw you on television. Making goo-goo eyes at each other."

"We were not making goo-goo eyes." Nick was more amused than offended.

"By Nick Wilde standards, you were. And she was lookin' at you like you were the wisest mammal in Zootopia."

"You mean I'm not?"

"Not quite. So what's the deal?"

"Well, we sort of live together, in neighboring apartments. And, yes, we're dating."

"Is it serious?"

"Yeah, pretty serious."

"Hm."

"Well? What do you think?"

"I think a lot of things. One, I think she's good for you. I knew that the day she showed up and booted the stroller and hustled you good."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I think you knew it before I did. And she's changed my life around."

"Yeah. I also think you two are in for a lot of trouble, especially with the way things are these days."

"I know," Nick said quietly.

"But you're both pretty tough, so you'll get through it."

"Thanks. So you don't think it's weird that I'm dating a rabbit?"

Finnick shrugged. "She's not the weirdest girlfriend you've had."

Nick chuckled. He and Finnick went back a long way. "Well, no."

"Yeah, OK, she's not a fox, or even a predator. But she makes you happy, right?"

"Yeah." Incredibly happy.

"So who cares if she's got long ears and a puffball tail?"

"Thanks."

"I'd worry more about you both being cops."

"Because we work together?"

"No, because one of you might get killed."

"Ah. Right." Nick didn't mention that he had almost gotten killed on their last big case.

"But look at Trina. She was a waitress in a pizza joint, and you know what happened to her."

Yeah, Nick did know. He was one of the few mammals that Finnick had ever talked to about it. A couple robbers came into the restaurant and when they found out how little was in the till, the manager having just gone to the bank to make a deposit, they shot the cashier and a couple of the waitresses before they ran off. Finnick's wife was the only one who died. It was a stupid, senseless crime, and a tragedy that robbed Finnick of most of the joy he'd had in his life. During the years with Trina, Finnick would actually smile and hope, but afterwards he went back to the same cranky if soft-hearted fennec who had come up to a sobbing little boy in a Junior Ranger Scouts uniform and said, "You want me to kick someone's tail for you?"

Nick had resisted the chance for revenge, tempting though it was, mostly because he knew that it would be seen as a couple of vicious foxes picking on meek prey. Finnick wasn't scared of being arrested, but Nick was. So when, three or four years later, Nick started living and working on the streets and ran into the older but now smaller boy, he steered his friend into legal but profitable hustles. Soon "Shermy" had made enough money from his take to buy a beat-up but beloved van that was their home when the weather was too bad to sleep outside.

Sometimes on warm nights, Nick would go to the bridge by the old abandoned amusement park, Wild Times. Finnick teased him that, with that name, it must've been run by some relative of Nick's. And Nick did like to imagine what it would be like if he had enough money to open it up again. He'd lay in a chaise lounge under the bridge and his daydreams would drift into night-dreams. When he got older, he'd sometimes dream about girls he knew or would like to meet, but he never thought he'd fall in love like Finnick did. What was the point anyhow, when you'd lose the girl one way or another?

Finnick snapped his fingers. "Wilde, you in there?"

"Sorry, just zoning out."

"Where in Tundratown am I taking you?"

Nick gave him directions and then they drove in silence again, till Finnick started playing the latest album from Queue Rouge, _Que Dit le Renard?_ Nick let the rap music drive all serious thoughts out of his head.

When they got to Taiga Street, Finnick parked the van and helped Nick unload the luggage. "You sure you don't want me to take you the rest of the way?"

"It's fine, Buddy."

"OK. No goodbye kiss for Junior?"

Nick grinned, bent forward, and kissed Finnick on the cheek. Finnick patted Nick's knee and then got back in the van. He waved before driving off and then Nick sighed, picked up the suitcases, and started heading along the path back to the cottage.


	29. The Lion & the Mouse

A kindness is never wasted. —Aesop

.

 _Chapter Three: The Friend Zone_

Judy had to smile at that title. But as she read on, she saw that it was about stories of the tentative beginnings of friendship between predator and prey.

 _...Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free..._

 _...Note that the lion does not give up hunting all "prey," but he does spare that mouse, and presumably all of her family. In a similar story, a monkey takes a thorn out of a lion's paw, and the lion later saves the monkey's life. Lions, even in our time, are identified with strength and nobility, their fierceness assumed to be tempered with mercy..._

 _...All of these stories represent that time when prey were cautiously beginning to trust predators, and predators were beginning to learn that it was to their benefit to not prey on prey. In the next chapter, I'll examine stories about how this crossing of the line between "natural enemies" led to collaboration, including the building of an amazing city. But first, I must note that the traces of this distrust remain. How many of us still have trouble being friends with those who aren't like us? Perhaps your best friend is a beaver and you follow the grumblr of a rhino. Your friendships may be with animals of other species, but you need a common ground. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is a reminder that it's not just the color of our fur or whether we have paws or hooves that may separate us._

"He's back," Sharla said.

Judy set down the book and smiled again. Then she frowned. "Do you mind if I talk to him alone outside?"

"Of course not. I'll be fine on my own, and you two will be close by."

That wasn't what Judy meant. She'd wondered if Sharla would be annoyed about her and Nick having a private conversation, but she reminded herself that this wasn't a social visit. Sharla should be their top priority. But her friend was right that it should be safe enough. "Thank you," Judy said as she got to her feet. "We'll come in in a few minutes."

"I'll go check on dinner."

"Thank you."

Judy got to her feet and went to the window by the front door. She could see that Nick was struggling through the clearing and towards the cottage. She ran outside and grabbed both suitcases. "I'm sorry, Nick! I would've met you at the bottom of the path if I'd known when you were getting back."

"It's all right, Fluff," he panted. He sat on a tree stump. "Everything OK here?"

"Yes, it's fine. Very quiet and peaceful."

"Good, I guess. You weren't bored, were you?"

"No, I've been talking to Sharla and skimming her book."

"Yeah? What do you think of it so far?"

Judy looked over at the door she'd left open. Then she quietly went back and shut it, first stowing the suitcases inside. She returned to Nick and sat on the grass in front of his stump. "I like it. One of the animals on that talk show panel said it was dry and academic, but it's not. In fact, I'd say it's a little overwritten and dramatic."

"Yeah? I read some on my Brindle on the train ride home and I'm not sure what I think. I mean, it's not like it's fiction, or even the kind of nonfiction that has a clear beginning or ending, like history or biography, but I've got this feeling like she doesn't know where she's going with this, like she's sort of making it up as she goes along. Which is OK I guess. But doesn't it seem like a story about stories should have more structure?"

"I don't know. It might work in a meta kind of way."

"Well, what do I know? I'm a junior-high dropout and you're the college graduate."

"Nick." She'd never heard him say anything like that before. She didn't know that it bothered him that she had more education than he did. He was so smart and he'd had no problems with the academic side of the Academy, although he had confessed to her in his first letter that the basic training was wiping him out physically.

"Anyway, I didn't have a chance to read on the way back."

"Too bad it's not an audiobook yet. You could've played it in the cruiser while you were driving."

"Uh, I didn't bring the cruiser."

"Oh. Well, I guess that wouldn't be too practical. I mean, you'd have to park it down on Taiga Street and it would draw too much attention. Did you stow my cart somewhere in the woods?"

He shook his head. "I didn't bring your cart. Bogo said we'll be in one place for awhile and it was pointless to issue us a police vehicle on this case."

"Oh." Well, they hadn't had one on the Canal District case, and they'd managed. "So how did you get back here?"

"I got a lift from Finnick."

"Oh, Finnick! I wish you'd brought him up here."

"Uh, Carrots, wouldn't that have blown the secrecy of the safehouse?"

"Well, I trust Finnick."

"Yeah? Why?"

"I don't know, I just do. Don't you?"

"Yeah, I trust him, but I've known him for over twenty years."

"I didn't realize it had been that long."

"Yeah, it's been that long. Anyway, he knows we're near Taiga Street and that's probably more than enough."

"Oh, Nick, I just thought of something." She put her paw on his knee.

"What's that, Fluff?"

"What if he's captured and tortured about our whereabouts?"

"I really don't think a bunch of anonymous cowards on the Internet are going to resort to torturing a friend of a friend of a friend of the author."

"Well, maybe not." She still felt a little worried about Finnick, but if Nick wasn't, she supposed it would be all right.

He put his paw over hers on his knee. "I talked to Pronk when I went home."

"Oh, you did? How is he? How's Bucky?"

"Bucky's doing a little better. Pronk, well." Nick shrugged. "He's one of those guys who hides his feelings under sarcasm."

She smiled up at Nick. "I've met a few guys like that."

He smiled a little. "Yeah." Then he coughed. "Um, Fluff, what's the bedroom situation? In the cottage I mean."

She blushed a little. "There are three bedrooms. So we don't have to share."

"Ah."

"Did you want to share?"

"No, that probably wouldn't be a good idea."

"Do you think we should take shifts? Like, we could each sleep four hours during the day and four hours at night."

"I don't think that will be necessary. I mean, we're not even really guarding her from anyone specific, right? We just have to be alert and ready when something happens, if something happens."

"What if it happens in the middle of the night?"

"We'll wake up and take care of it."

"OK." She supposed he was right. Shifts might work if this was only for a few days, but this might be for a few weeks. Or even months.

"Judy, how long do you think we'll be out here? I mean, if nothing happens, how do we know when it's over?"

She understood. "I don't know. The climate is—"

"Tropical blended with subarctic?"

"I meant the social climate."

"Ah."

She sighed. "I don't know if things are going to change overnight, or at all. For the better I mean. But maybe the furor over her book will die down after awhile."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Um, Nick, did you tell Finnick about us?"

"Yeah, but he kind of already guessed."

"Oh." Well, he must've wondered, back when she was looking for Nick and he told her about Nick living under the bridge.

Nick pulled her onto her feet and into his lap. "At the risk of sounding needy, I missed you today."

She nestled against him. "I missed you, too."

He stroked her ears. "I don't think we do too well when we're not together."

"Oh, I don't know. You got through the Academy OK on your own."

"Yeah, but I missed you every day."

"Oh, Nick!" She kissed him and he kissed back.

When they stopped he said, "Luckily, we'll be seeing lots of each other for the next few weeks, or months."

Judy heard a bell that she thought for a moment was the kind that some sheep wore as a necklace, but then she realized it was a dinner bell. "And lots of Sharla."

Nick sighed and nodded. "And lots of Sharla."


	30. Three Bullocks & a Lion

In unity is strength. —Aesop

.

 _Chapter Four: We Built This City_

 _The peninsula of Zootopia is of course almost completely surrounded by water. Sahara Square is the only district without rivers or lakes. Yet it was the watering hole in the southern portion of what would become Savanna Central that would become the foundation of the great city. The animals who first gathered there probably had no intention of building even a village, particularly not one with a mix of predators and prey._

 _My guess, based on the stories I've gathered, is that some of the animals decided that it wasn't worth the long trek back and forth to the watering hole. Why not build shelter right on the spot? They might've been wary of living by their former enemies, but convenience must've won out._

 _The stories also suggest that these pioneers were also the first mammals to evolve, as if there was something special in this water. These are the mammals who developed opposable thumbs or split hooves so that they could use tools. These are the mammals who developed the power of speech so that they could better communicate, and not just with their own kind. These are the mammals who started to believe that anyone can be anything, because they saw the changes from their primitive ancestors._

 _This doesn't mean that evolution wasn't taking hold elsewhere, but Zootopia was seen as a special place even before the name appeared. And the settlement was unique in that from the beginning living peacefully was one of its goals. This makes sense, considering the uneasy tension between predator and prey, and indeed between some predators and between some types of prey. It would be difficult to build anything lasting if constant feuding were a problem._

 _The following stories explore that uneasy dynamic and how the first settlers got through it..._

Nick skipped ahead. He was more interested in Sharla's interpretations, and how this was all, he hoped, leading up to Chapter Thirteen, than he was in the actual stories she was analyzing. He was somewhat familiar with these stories anyway, although probably less than Judy, who grew up in a kit-centered environment, hearing the stories constantly and helping to pass them down to her younger siblings and niblings.

 _...Some stories suggest that word of the Watering Hole village traveled throughout the peninsula, and the image of peaceful harmony had wide appeal. Other villages sprang up with similar goals. There are also stories where the Watering Hole village expanded its borders, peacefully of course. First we'll examine the stories where..._

Nick started to scroll down again. Then he heard a knock. He set down the Brindle and went over to the door. He opened it and saw Judy in her pajamas.

"Oh, good, you're still awake," she said.

He shrugged. "I'm a night animal. I mean, I function in the daytime, since it's easier to work then, but right now that's not really a requirement, is it?"

"No, I guess not."

"If you do want to do shifts like you were talking about, I can take the night shift."

"Well, maybe. We'll see how things go I guess."

"OK."

"Anyway, I just wanted to say goodnight."

"You want to come in?" he asked, gesturing at the bedroom he'd ended up with.

"I'd better not."

"OK. Can I get a goodnight kiss?"

"Of course."

She stood on tiptoe and he bent his head down.

After the kiss, she said, "Come and get me if you see or hear anything suspicious."

He didn't say that he had the feeling that this case was going to be uneventful for awhile. He just nodded.

"See you tomorrow, Nick."

"Sleep well, Fluff."

After she left, he went back to bed. He decided to read until he got sleepy. He got comfortable again and made the font a little larger so he could read more easily.

As he skimmed through the rest of Chapter Four, which explored the rise of the future Zootopia from village (or villages) to town(s) to the ultimate city, he thought of how Judy was on the other side of the wall. He found that comforting, because it reminded him of home. Actually, this cottage was nicer than the Grand Pangolin Arms, and much quieter. Well, Pronk had been pretty subdued when Nick talked to him, and of course he and Bucky wouldn't be loudly bickering for awhile.

Nick wondered again who owned this cottage and how they'd set Sharla up in it. Why not send her completely out of Zootopia? Not back to Bunnyburrow, he understood why that was risky for her family. But someplace more remote than Tundratown. Was there a reason for keeping her in Zootopia?

 _...Despite the name, Savanna Central is not the center of the peninsula. The Watering Hole is not the center of the Savanna. The Zootopian message spread outward, to the North and East, just as the settlement grew outward. Yet however receptive other mammals were to the idea of civilization, there was another obstacle to the grand unity besides the gulf between predator and prey: habitat. It was one thing to say that you could have a doctor or a baker who was different than you were, but how could polar bears and camels, leopards and goats, all live in one community? Was this possible, or even desirable? In the next chapter, we'll look at stories about how the twelve unique ecosystems came to exist within city limits._

Nick scrolled to the next page.

 _Chapter Five: Won't You Be My Neighbor?_

 _Living in peace and harmony was and is a lovely ideal, but living together wasn't going to be simple. As mammals throughout the Pangean continent heard of the legend of Zootopia, they were drawn to our city, but the temperate climate was an adjustment for many. The native Zootopians wanted to be welcoming, but the weather was one of those things that everybody talked about but nobody did anything about. Gradually though, technology progressed enough that homes could be heated or air-conditioned for greater comfort. This expanded to include public buildings and then businesses. But an arctic shrew and a coyote would be uncomfortable the moment they stepped outside, for completely opposite reasons._

 _We'll now look at some humorous stories about air-conditioning and heating the outdoors, bearing in mind that a couple centuries ago, no one imagined that this could become a reality, that mammals could create viable ecosystems..._

 _...Everyone learns in high school the technology behind this innovation..._

Nick skimmed ahead. He'd never gone to high school, but he had a rough idea how it worked, with the ice of Tundratown directly related to the heat of Sahara Square and the moisture of the Rainforest.

 _...But how did they decide on those particular twelve ecosystems? And was there ever a possibility of predators and prey living separately within the larger city? These next stories suggest that the delicate balance was maintained by deliberately putting the emphasis on climate rather than past eating habits, as a way to bond predators and prey together..._

 _...The difficulty was in not letting these ecosystems become as divisive as the predator/prey split of the past. Someone could be proud of living Downtown but feel a shared pride with Zootopians outside of District One. We were all in this together, while our individuality would be maintained. Or at least that was the goal..._

 _...There were some complications though. Earlier, we briefly examined how the watering hole stories excluded the aquatic mammals. How were they going to be incorporated into a city on land? And what about the nocturnal animals who didn't only want to sleep in the day but wanted to avoid as much light as possible? Or the smallest animals, who needed a place designed for them, without having to constantly be accommodated in a city designed for much larger animals?_

 _Little Rodentia gave rodents, and other small mammals, both predator and prey, a place of their own, with access to the greater city. The Nocturnal District, with its dim lighting, was perfect for animals who preferred to use their night vision, no matter what time it was. The sea mammals though had to by definition live on the edges of the city, which the following stories suggest has been a harder adjustment than for a mouse to live within or a bat to live under the city..._

Nick turned off the Brindle. He thought about how when his mom was first hospitalized, he'd considered moving to the Nocturnal District. He had great night vision and the idea of hiding away, living a literally underground life, had appealed to him. But something had made him stay up top, live on the streets, work in the daytime even when sunglasses couldn't cut out the glare. Maybe it was the same something that told him to hold on to his Junior Ranger Scouts kerchief, or Judy's pen. The same something that told him to make sure that every hustle was technically legal. The same something that made him consider becoming a cop. And the same something that told him to stay with Judy, no matter how tough it got sometimes.

He wasn't ready to go to sleep yet, but he'd read enough for now. He put a coat on over his pajamas and quietly went downstairs and outside. He patrolled the clearing but even the bugs seemed to be asleep. He looked up at the night sky, counting stars until he got sleepy. Yeah, this was one reason to not hide away, to stay on the surface. Then he looked up at Judy's window and smiled. He went back inside, took off his coat, went to bed, and fell asleep, thinking of the bunny sleeping on the other side of the wall.


	31. The Eagle & the Fox

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. —Aesop

.

 _Chapter Six: A Shocking Development_

 _Although predators and prey had united to form a wondrous city, distrust remained. Prey could see that predators had evolved and changed as much as they had, but there was always the fear that the predators might revert to their primitive, savage ways._

Judy winced but made herself keep reading.

 _The prey in turn wondered how they could prove they were trustworthy and civilized. A century and a half ago, technology again was seen as the solution. Prey scientists, with the input of some predators, designed the "tame collar." This was issued to each predator, from five or six years old on up, and it was meant to discourage predators from expressing extreme emotions. If a predator felt anger or even great joy, then the collar would literally shock the predator. As we can see from the vintage magazine ads, featured on the next few pages, this was presented as something kind and considerate towards_ _the predators_ _. The collars were supposed to ease their social interaction, to keep them from awkwardness. Unlike modern images of stoic predator and emotional prey, it was then the predator who was considered unable to control himself or herself. It is possible that this very stoicism is a legacy of the collars. Predators' parents, who would throw them taming parties when they reached this rite of passage, would raise the children with a symbolic collaring or reining in, reminding them that if they didn't feel strongly, then they would never be shocked. Of course, strong emotions are a natural part of childhood and adolescence, so no predator could reach adulthood without being "zapped."_

 _What was never fully acknowledged was that this was a way of making the predators fearful of doing anything to frighten the prey animals. Some prey might express concern, or at least campaign for milder collars, but few questioned the necessity of the collars. They were seen as a sign of modern progress. Within a few decades, it was hard for any Zootopian to imagine a life without collars. Oh, sure, in wilder, uncivilized lands they didn't exist, but what could you expect from such savages?_

 _In the next chapter, I'll examine the changes de-collaring brought to society, and how this was reflected in the stories, but first we must look at the stories of the time before. It is a dark time in our history, and one more painful to remember than the dim, distant past of thousands of years ago. There are venerable animals who were small children when this era came to an end, and they aren't the only ones shaped by the Collaring Days..._

Judy set the book aside and thought of her 101-year-old grandfather. He came from that era and still thought in the old ways. When Gideon Grey had bullied her, Pammy, and the Merinos, Grandpa had said, "In my day, that boy would've been wearing a collar and behaving himself!" At nine, Judy had wanted to see Gideon punished, but she also knew that the collars weren't the right way. She understood and to some extent shared her family's prejudice against foxes, but she also had her ideals. What if it had been a prey bully? No one would've mentioned collars then.

Sharla came into the living room and said, "Breakfast is ready. Should we wake up Nick?"

"No, I think he was up late. Let's let him sleep."

"OK. I can make him brunch later."

"Sharla, you don't have to wait on us. Nick and I are both capable of making our own meals."

"I have to do something to keep busy. And I told you I like to cook."

Judy smiled a little. "Thank you."

Having grown up together and done sleepovers, Sharla knew what kind of breakfast foods Judy liked. In fact, this sort of felt like an ongoing slumber party, except one that allowed a boy. She could picture the three of them watching movies together or making taffy. Judy didn't think Nick would let them braid his fur, although maybe Sharla would let Nick touch the wool on the top of her head if she felt comfortable enough with him. Then Judy realized that this was a strange thing to be thinking.

After breakfast, she went outside to exercise. She didn't want to get flabby with sitting around the house all day, especially since she didn't know how long they'd be there. She sometimes exercised in her apartment, except of course Bucky and Pronk, and the neighbor downstairs, complained. This was nice to be able to do it in the fresh air. She did worry a little about being seen, but she figured Sharla was the one in hiding, not her.

While she was doing her leg stretches, she heard a whistle. She wondered if it was another bird. Then she looked over her shoulder and saw Nick in the doorway, holding a coffee cup.

"Looking good, Officer Hopps."

"Come and join me, Officer Wilde."

"Not before my morning coffee."

She shook her head and went back to exercising. She could've nagged him, but she remembered that he had carried two suitcases up the path the day before. And he was much less of a morning mammal than she was.

When she took a break and went over to where he was sitting on the stump, he held out a croissant.

"No thanks, I already had breakfast."

"Yeah, I figured but I thought you might be hungry again."

"Not yet."

"OK." He took a bite. "She really is a good cook, and a good baker. Maybe you should fix her up with Gideon."

"He bullied her when we were kids!"

"Yeah, I know, but he's mostly changed."

She didn't tell Nick that she had her suspicions about Sharla's romantic past. She didn't know anything for sure, but it would be breaking a confidence to discuss it before she had permission.

"So, Carrots, how far into the book are you?"

"Chapter Six."

"Yeah, that was a downer."

"Nick..."

"Yeah, Fluff?"

"Did any of your relatives ever talk about being collared?"

"That was before even my grandparents' time."

"Oh. Well, my grandfather is over one hundred and he remembers it."

"I bet he was all for it."

She looked down. "Well, they didn't know any better back then."

"And yet somehow society managed without collars before that time."

"They thought it was progress."

"Are you defending them?"

"No, of course not. It's just, well, I guess animals get used to injustice and don't like to question it."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Nick, do you ever...?"

"What?"

"Do you feel like you have to watch yourself around other mammals, especially prey? I mean, of course you don't wear a collar, but do you feel inhibited?"

"Yeah, sometimes. You know that there are stereotypes about foxes. Sometimes I've played into them, and sometimes I've tried to undercut them. And, well, I told you to never let 'em see that they get to you. But that's not just to do with being a predator. I think it's good advice for prey, too."

"I got to you, didn't I?" she said softly.

"Yeah, especially those leg stretches. Yow!"

"Nick."

"Yeah," he said quietly and more seriously, "you got to me. And I showed it."

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "We're past that, Judy, you know that. You don't have to keep apologizing."

"OK."

He got to his feet and set the cup and the croissant on the stump. "OK, it's yoga time."

"You know yoga?"

"I've been to the Mystic Springs Oasis a few times. That's how I knew Emmitt Otterton was a regular."

Blushing she asked, "Did you take off your clothes?"

"Of course, Carrots, I had to fit in, didn't I? I kept them on when I took you there because I didn't want to dazzle your innocent eyes."

"Thank you. Um, you're not going to take them off now, are you?"

"No, that would make things a little awkward if your friend saw my gorgeous bod."

"Right."

Nick taught her a few poses and then they went back inside and read some more.


	32. The Fox & the Hedgehog

_Chapter Seven: Set Me Free, Why Don't You?_

 _It began with protests. Predators took off their collars in public and peacefully demonstrated. The ones feeling extreme emotions were now the prey. Yet it wasn't just fear and anger; many prey animals felt sorrow and compassion. Somehow it wasn't till they saw what it was like for a modern predator to be collarless that they understood what it was like for them to be collared. Nothing would've changed if those brave predators, some of whom were beaten and/or jailed for expressing their beliefs, hadn't taken this risk. And bear in mind, that they, too, had been raised to believe that collaring was for their own good and the good of society. That mentality was its own form of collaring, yet they rebelled against it._

 _However, predators were and are only about 10% of the population. Short of a massive labor strike (and most of them were in the more labor-intensive professions, due to both build and prejudice), there was no way that they could bring about change by themselves. They needed the help of influential and sympathetic prey. The predators began the rebellion, but the prey had to complete it._

 _At first, it was legislation that required the collars in public but let the predators be collarless in the privacy of their own homes. Then came underground pred-only social clubs that bent the rules, arguing that among their own kind they could be themselves. Of course, this ignored the fact that, for instance, rodents had been prey for cats. The lines between predator and prey, as we saw in Chapter Two, were never that firm. But a cat and a mouse would respect each other's autonomy in a "foxhole" like Wild Times..._

"Nick!"

He looked over at Judy, who was reading her print copy in the comfiest armchair, while Nick was stretched out on the couch with his Brindle. (Sharla was doing the dishes.)

"Yeah, Fluff?"

"Did you get up to Wild Times?"

"Yeah, it's that old abandoned amusement park near the bridge where you found me."

"Did you know it was fox-run?"

"No, but Finnick used to joke that it must've been owned by my relatives back in the day, because of the name."

"That's so cool that maybe your great-grandfather ran it!"

"Well, if he did, it probably was technically legal."

She chuckled. "Yeah." Then she sighed sadly. "I hate thinking about back then. I mean, it's not as bad as when they had to wear collars all the time."

Nick rubbed his neck, a gesture he'd made a lot when he was reading Chapter Six. He could imagine all too vividly what it'd be like to be forced into a collar that you could never take off, punished for being who you were, not for anything you'd done. And then the sweet feeling of release when you could take it off, even if just for a minute. "Right."

"But, well, maybe when you wore a collar all the time, you sort of got used to it. Think how hard it must've been for the predators to be free for awhile, at home or in one of the barkeasies, and then have to go back out into the world wearing the collar again.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"I mean, it's not the same thing, but I can relate a little because I grew up hearing that in Zootopia anyone could be anything. Except that I also grew up hearing my parents telling me that dreams are just dreams and it's better to settle and be happy. And a certain fox told me one of my first days in the Big City, 'Everyone comes to Zootopia thinking they can be anything they want. Well, you can't. You can only be what you are.' "

"Well, that fox was right. He just didn't realize that what you are is an amazing bunny."

She smiled a little. "Thank you. What I mean is, even though it's not as brutal as collaring, we all grow up with limitations. Not just the limitations I talked about in my graduation speech for your class, but the limitations that other animals put on us."

"Yeah. At least the collars were removable."

"Right."

"Except when it was illegal to remove them."

"Well, yes."

He understood her point but didn't completely agree with it. She was saying no one was completely free, but he believed that some were less free than others.

Then he clicked on the beginning of the next chapter.

 _Chapter Eight: Some Are More Equal Than Others_

 _With the final destruction of the collars, Zootopia was seen, on the surface, as a place where the ideals of harmony, peace, and equality had been achieved. Predators had conquered their dangerous instincts not by outside forces but through their own desire for change, their own will to evolve. But fears and prejudice didn't die that easily. In time, predators moved into positions of respect and even power, the Lionheart family not only gaining wealth and influence, reflected in the naming of Lionheart Avenue, on the Lavender line between Peak Street and Taiga Street, but also eventually seeing their most promising scion elected as mayor of the city. Yet not all mammals got along, and some were seen as lesser or at least different than others._

 _Of course, some will argue that mammals are different and that's what makes Zootopia great, the richness of the tapestry of our community. But how do differences work in practice, when not only equality but equity is the goal?_

 _Take for instance size differentials. Whether an animal is a predator or prey, the larger he or she is, generally the larger food, clothing, and shelter must be. This means that a larger portion of income must be spent on essentials. However, in general, although not always, the smaller the mammal, the more offspring. Furthermore, larger animals are often stronger, so they can produce more physical labor, although this may not be in a high-paid job. How can the economy be structured so that, for instance, a buck who's a deer and a buck who's a rabbit can earn and spend bucks in an equitable manner?_

 _Not that everyone should make the exact same amount of money, but Zootopia has sought to reduce extreme poverty. The following legends are about how economic class differences impact our society, whether it's "The Prancer and the Pauper," or "The Fox and the Hedgehog" with its moral of "A needy thief steals more than one who enjoys plenty."_

Nick could see that this was going to be another painful chapter for him to read.


	33. The Milkmaid & Her Pail

Judy smiled when she saw Nick sitting in a deck chair. It reminded her of what was one of her saddest yet happiest memories, when she found him living under the bridge and she'd apologized. He'd looked so cool, in the senses of both suave and distant, chill and chilly. Like then, he was now wearing sunglasses, although it was a little overcast.

"Where did you find the chair?"

"Up in the attic. You want me to look for another one for you?"

"No, it's OK. I fall asleep if I read lying down." She sat on the stump.

They'd agreed that it felt strange reading Sharla's book inside the house, where she might overhear them discussing it, although they never said anything too bad and she seemed open to criticism, as long as it wasn't threatening of course. Also, a lot of the chapters were about touchy topics, and that made them self-conscious reading them around the author. Judy was surprised that the controversy seemed to focus on just one chapter, but Nick had said, "Sex sells, Fluff." She doubted Chapter Thirteen was explicit, but she knew from recent experience that even holding hands with Nick and mildly flirting could get them mean looks and remarks. It wasn't just the physical side of interspecies relationships that bothered some mammals, but the emotional side and the commitment.

If it had been a lighter, happier book, Judy would've wanted to snuggle up with Nick as they took turns reading it aloud to each other. But a lighter, happier book wouldn't have caused the author to go into hiding with two bodyguards.

Judy sighed and opened to her bookmark.

 _Chapter Nine: Harmonic Divergence_

 _One of the ideals of Zootopia was and is harmony. In both society and music, harmony requires animals to unite to produce something beautiful. But what about those who march to the beat of a different drummer?_

Judy looked over at Nick and was going to comment on whether Sharla was pushing the metaphor too far, but then she realized that he must've read well beyond the opening line of the chapter, since he'd been out there awhile.

She skimmed through the chapter. It was mostly about stories that explored whether unity was possible, or even desirable, if it came at the cost of conformity.

 _...Perhaps in the end, the important thing is that we're all singing, even if it's not in sync or even to the same tune._

She turned the page.

 _Chapter Ten: Don't Count Your Chickens Before They're Hatched_

 _The predators had given up eating other mammals. But how did some of these former carnivores and omnivores make the leap to vegetarianism, or even veganism? And why is that some predators and some prey eat plant-based replicas of so-called dairy products? And how did insects become one of the main food groups? Most of all, how do stories about sapient birds and reptiles, not to mention fish and, yes, bugs, shape the eating habits of various mammals?_

 _If mammaloids from another planet landed in our city, one of their first questions might be, "What do you eat in Zootopia?" Indeed, this is a common theme in science fiction, as is the motif of mammals in outer space eating differently than we do here..._

 _...Older stories reflect that the transition to our modern diets went in stages. And one stage for a time involved cows and goats (and to a lesser extent buffalo, sheep, camels, donkeys, horses, reindeer and yaks) selling their milk and products derived from it. Tales of the dairy trade are shocking to modern sensibilities, but it's important to remember that our ancestors found it perfectly normal. In fact, it was seen as superior to meat-eating, since no lives were lost as a result. Now it's seen as exploitation, of the mothers and of their hungry babies, but that wasn't the case centuries ago. The closest modern parallel would be the wool trade, where sheep agree to be sheared for compensation. Of course, some abuse does go on, including the fur of other animals being passed off as wool..._

Judy shot Nick a look but she had no idea which part of the book he was on at the moment.

 _...And there was some fraud involved with the dairy trade, but as long as it was legal, it was easy to enforce health codes. As it fell out of favor, many were unwilling to give up not only milk but cheese, butter, and ice cream. So alternatives were sought, such as soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, and coconut milk. Not all of these easily convert to dairy-like products, but technology has found taste-alikes over time..._

Judy skipped ahead since Sharla told some stories about the production and sale of dairy products and their modern counterparts. Then, after a transition, Sharla got into stories of talking fish that caused some to give up eating sea life, while other mammals argued that it was part of their culture. Judy kept skimming.

"You know, Carrots, if you keep skipping ahead, you might miss something important."

She looked over at Nick. "How do you know I'm not just absorbing the material really fast?"

"OK, Reader Rabbit, tell me one of the stories she analyzes in Chapter Nine."

She scowled and flipped back several pages.

Nick chuckled and then after a minute he said, "We should go inside. It looks like rain or maybe even snow."

She hadn't noticed that it was getting colder, but he was right. There was a chill in the air and the sky was not only overcast, but brooding.

"Nick, I'm not too familiar with Tundratown, and this is just the edge of it. Do you think we'll be snowed in?"

"We might be. Not necessarily today but if we stay in the cottage long enough. After all, no one's going to come up here with a snowplow, right?"

Judy thought about that. On the one hand, it might make Sharla safer, if no one could get through the snow and find the cottage. But on the other hand, what if the three of them were trapped so long that they ran out of food? Well, maybe Bogo would send someone to rescue them if they called or texted him. Or maybe he would if he didn't hear from them for awhile.

"Don't worry, we can shovel our way out if we have to."

"Assuming there are shovels. And that the snow doesn't reach the second floor."

"Keep up that positive attitude, Officer Hopps."

She laughed, went over to his deck chair, kissed him on the nose, and helped him carry the chair inside.


	34. Hey Diddle Diddle

"You sure, Fluff?"

"Yes, if you're comfortable with it. And I love your voice."

He smiled. "Yeah, stroke my ego. No, that's my tail, not my ego."

"Sorry," she said, letting go, to his disappointment. But he knew it would be distracting. Even snuggling as he read to her might be, but they'd both missed the contact.

She nestled up against him and he cleared his throat.

 _"Chapter Eleven: Cattle Drive_

 _"No one could've predicted that the closing of the dairy trade would lead to a revolution in transportation. In retrospect, it makes sense. Just as synthetic fibers required sheep to rethink their relationship to the fashion industry, so that Meadowlands was no longer just about wool, cattle had to find a new identity when they were no longer the main milk providers for Zootopia. Yet this new identity came from a quality that they had never consciously given any thought to: their natural path-setting._

 _"In the children's book_ Truck Everlasting, _author Natalie Rabbit somewhat condescendingly says, '...the cows, through some wisdom they were not wise enough to know that they possessed, were very wise indeed.' This wisdom is that they searched for clover and other wild delicacies, forming a path that later became a road and eventually a major freeway that allowed commerce across borough lines."_

"Leading to more paperwork for con-foxes," Judy teased.

"Right." He cleared his throat again. " _As the following stories suggest, the leap to outer space, with cows almost literally jumping over the moon—_ Hey, Fluff, what do you say we skip over the stories?"

"Ha! And you were scolding me for skimming."

"Yeah, all right. _The Cow on the Roof: Long ago—"_

"No, Nick, it's OK. We can skip ahead."

He quickly scrolled through the book's text on his Brindle. "This looks interesting. _...The 'Get Mooooving' slogan of the Zootopia Transit Authority is a legacy of this time. Although mammals of all sorts work on and ride the trains that go around Zootopia and its suburbs, it was originally founded and staffed by bulls and cows. This bovine origin is also shown in the looping and spiraling that so many of the lines follow. Despite campaigns for more 'logical' and linear routes, little has changed since the 'cattle car' days, even as the trains themselves have become sleeker and faster. In fact, mammals of all sorts see this quirk as part of the ZTA's charm. When the residents of Little Rodentia established their own train system to cater to the smallest animals, it was modeled on what the cows and bulls designed years earlier."_

"That was one of the things that most surprised and excited me when I first arrived in Zootopia," Judy murmured. "The way the train, the Yellow Line, went in a straight line through the Burrows, but then it sort of gave a quick tour of the city, rather than heading straight to Downtown."

He kissed one of her ears. As always, he liked picturing the eager bunny coming to the Big City for the first time. Even though it was less than a year ago, she seemed to have matured so much since then. He loved her more now that she was less fresh and innocent, because he liked complexity, but he also loved what remained of the freshness and innocence.

"Mmm, Nick, that feels nice, but we should get back to the book."

He had meant to just be mildly affectionate, but he forgot sometimes how sensitive her ears were. "Right." He cleared his throat yet again. "So then she looks at the train system, acknowledging that it's also shaped by the unique geography of the peninsula. And then she tells some stories about trains, which I might go back and read at a later time..."

"You're in a hurry to get to Chapter Thirteen, aren't you?" she teased.

"No more than you are, Fluff. So then she segues into a discussion of the space program, including such pioneers as Squeal Farmstrong and Fuzz Crawldin, with the support of a mostly bovine ground crew."

Judy nodded. "I remember her doing a report for science class on them, especially Alan Shepp, the first ram on the moon."

"I wonder if she regrets not going into the space program. It might've been safer."

"Nick."

"I'm just saying." He sighed. "Well, if she had, we wouldn't be cuddling in this charming cottage."

"Right." She looked a little guilty, as if the lines between work and their relationship were blurring too much. But what were they supposed to do, act like they weren't a couple? It wasn't like Sharla minded, and it wasn't interfering with their job, which mostly seemed to be sitting around, or at the moment lying around, reading the book. Then Judy said, "Maybe we should wrap it up for tonight. We can get to Chapter Twelve tomorrow."

"Do you mind if I read it on my own?"

"I guess not. But promise you'll wait for me before going on to Chapter Thirteen."

"Of course." He chuckled.

"What?"

"Well, what if after all this fuss it turns out to be not such a big deal?"

She frowned, failing to see the humor. "I don't think Sharla would be getting threats over no big deal."

"I mean no big deal to us. Maybe crazies have over-reacted."

"Well, over-reacted or not, we need to take it seriously. For her sake."

"Of course." He kissed her cheek. "I know you what you mean."

She kissed him on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

She slowly pulled away. "But I should go back to my room. I'm getting sleepy."

He swallowed and nodded. "Sweet dreams, Fluff."

"You, too, when you get there, my night owl."

He smiled and then sighed when she slipped out of the room. He scrolled to the end of the chapter and then shut off the Brindle. His eyes were tired, even though his brain wasn't. He got out his earbuds and listened to music on his phone, starting with Tomcat Jones's "She's a Lady." It always made him think of Judy, even though she wasn't lady-like in a traditional sense. He hummed along on "...She can take what I dish out, and that's not easy. Well she knows me through and through. She knows just what to do, and how to please me," but he also completely agreed with "Well, she never asks for very much and I don't refuse her. Always treat her with respect, I never would abuse her. What she's got is hard to find, and I don't want to lose her."

He whispered, "...Yeah, yeah, she's a lady, and the lady is mine."


	35. The Hare & the Tortoise

The race is not always to the swift.

.

 _Chapter Twelve: Down the Rabbit Hole_

 _While this book focuses primarily on tales of the city of Zootopia, it is important to consider the lore of the suburbs, specifically the Tri-Burrows. And the most populous burrow is of course Bunnyburrow._

Judy was sort of glad she was reading this on her own, since she was sure Nick her would tease her about it. Especially when she saw what came next.

 _With over 81 million residents, Bunnyburrow is a land of big families. Much of this has to do with the rabbit population, although bunnies are by no means the only ones who live there. I myself grew up in Bunnyburrow and know how bunny-dominated it is, from burrow name to architecture. This is not to say that there is prejudice against minorities, or no more than in any other part of Zootopia and its surroundings, but the default identity is bunny._

Judy was also glad she wasn't reading this around Sharla. She was in her bedroom, with a fire going, because it was still frosty outside.

 _This is as good a place as any to explain the differences between bunnies, rabbits, and hares. Both rabbits and hares belong to the family Leporidae, which includes about sixty species. However, mixed matings over the years has blurred the lines between these species, so that one family may have a wide range of sizes, colors, and other features in offspring. These are not generally recognized as mixed matings of course, in the way that the matings in the next chapter are, since they_ _can_ _produce offspring. However, this does not apply to rabbits and hares. Confusingly, a jackrabbit is actually a hare, and can have kits with other hares. To add further to the confusion, the term "rabbits" is often casually applied to "hares," perhaps because the latter is a homophone with "hairs" and a near-homophone with "airs."_

 _(The classic cartoons of Smug Bunny are rife with puns that play on this similarity in sound, among them_ Hare Peace, Hare Extensions, Fresh Hair, _and even_ Hare Apparent.)

 _Technically, a hare will be larger than a rabbit, with black tipped ears. Hares are better at running long distances. They also tend to be more solitary, while rabbits live in large communal dens, often with extended or at least numerous families. However, there will be exceptions to this last pattern, particularly in Bunnyburrow, where hares frequently live the lifestyle of the smaller bunnies._

 _And what of the term "bunny"? It is a less scientific, lighter term. One might even say it's a "cuter" term, although some of the younger, more progressive bunnies bristle at the word "cute," having as it does connotations of foolishness and helplessness._

Judy pulled the blankets up a little higher, burrowing more into the covers, gladder than ever that she was reading this alone. She tried not to think of Nick reading it the night before, or of Sharla writing it months ago.

 _However, as I said, "bunny" is the default identity. Hares and rabbits in the 'Burrows, and in the Big City, are identified as bunnies almost automatically. Even as a sheep, I almost thought of myself as a bunny sometimes. One of my best friends was a bunny and her family was very welcoming to me. I never really cared for carrots, but I otherwise was pleased when they invited me over for home-cooked meals. (My parents both had jobs outside the home and we mostly ate microwaved food.)_

Judy laughed out loud. Sharla seemed to be getting off topic.

 _There were times I wished I were a bunny, although I also for a long time wanted to be an astronaut, and it seemed like bunnies led more traditional lives. (My friend grew up to fulfill her childhood ambition of becoming a police officer, but not without some resistance from her family.)_

Judy sat up suddenly. She wished that Sharla hadn't said so much about her and her family. True, Sharla hadn't actually said Judy Hopps by name, but almost anyone could figure it out. After all, Judy was the first and still only bunny cop, and she'd been on television more than once. Maybe no one read Chapter Twelve, in their eagerness to get to Chapter Thirteen, but Judy was concerned. And what if this made it more difficult to protect Sharla?

She wondered if it were too early to wake up Nick. She'd already had breakfast but he hadn't. She wondered if he'd been up late reading. Well, if he had, then he must've finished Chapter Twelve. And he couldn't be too concerned if he hadn't come to talk to her about it. Of course, that might be because Chapter Twelve was less personal to him. He wasn't a bunny and he hadn't grown up with Sharla. Was Judy overreacting, or was Nick not reacting enough?

Or maybe he hadn't read it yet. Maybe he'd gone back and more carefully read the parts of Chapter Eleven they'd skipped over. She might have to wait for him to catch up.

She skimmed through the rest of Chapter Twelve. It was a collection of stories about bunnies, followed by the less popular stories of moles and gophers. The moles were seen as blind and cautious, the gophers as intuitive and observant. This was in great contrast to bunnies, who had a range of overlapping but sometimes contradictory images, from sentimental homebodies to incredible flirts to sly tricksters, "not unlike foxes." Judy snickered.

Then someone knocked. If it was Sharla, Judy would cautiously bring up the indiscretions of Chapter Twelve. And if it was Nick, she'd wait to see what page he was on.

"Fluff, you up?"

Judy flung back the covers and ran to the door. "Nick, have you read—?" She stopped, not wanting Sharla to overhear, although she was pretty sure her sheep friend was downstairs.

"Come on, Snowshoe, let's go for a walk."

Judy smiled a little. Yes, he'd read Chapter Twelve.

Then she frowned as Nick whispered, "I know what's in Chapter Thirteen."


	36. Two Rabbits

Nick meant to wait for Judy. He'd promised he wouldn't read Chapter Thirteen without her. He wasn't even necessarily going to read Chapter Twelve on his own, but he woke up early from a dream and didn't want to go back to sleep.

It was a dream he'd had off and on through the years, since he was eight or nine, a nightmare about being muzzled. The last time he'd had it was after the "predators reverting back to their primitive, savage ways" press conference. Not immediately after, but a couple weeks later, when the attacks continued and even in his conscious life he'd have thoughts like _They're coming to get me. It's only a matter of time._

Why now? He was in a safehouse, with safe company. He wasn't scared of Sharla and he certainly wasn't scared of Judy. He wasn't even that scared of the animals threatening Sharla. And, yes, there was negative reaction to mixed couples, but it wasn't predator-specific, not like when the city had been filled with fear of predators insanely attacking.

He was tempted to wake up Judy, have her hold him, comfort him. But Nick still wasn't used to having someone for that, someone he could afford to be vulnerable with. And it was just a dream, right? Still, he didn't have the energy just then to sleep.

So he read the parts of Chapter Eleven he'd skipped over, and all of Chapter Twelve. He was amused by the bits about Bunnyburrow, getting the views of someone who had grown up there but in some ways was almost as much of an outsider as he was. He couldn't help wondering what Gideon's take would've been on it, although as a bully Gideon had reacted to the environment in a very different way than Sharla.

Nick also liked finding out more about bunnies, things that Judy had never told him, things she probably took for granted. He realized he hadn't known the differences between hares and rabbits, although it seemed to be less than between, for instance, fennec and red foxes. Maybe that was how Bucky and Pronk's families felt about the differences between them.

The sentence _These are not generally recognized as mixed matings of course, in the way that the matings in the next chapter are, since they can produce offspring_ was a teaser. Nick tried to imagine someone reading this book without expectations, before the controversy, maybe someone who didn't read the back cover or the table of contents either. Did Chapter Thirteen come as a surprise? Would this hint in Chapter Twelve make the reader want to skip ahead?

Nick did finish Twelve, but he was getting very curious about Thirteen now. Would it be a tragedy if he read it on his own?

He clicked over.

 _Chapter Thirteen: Mix and Match_

 _There's a tale that goes this way:_

 _"A Rabbit, who was about to have a family, entreated another Rabbit to lend her her burrow until she was able to move about again, and assured her that she should then have it without fail. The other very readily consented, and, with a great deal of civility, resigned it to her immediately. However, when the time was up, she came and paid the first Rabbit a visit, and very modestly intimated that, now that her friend was up and well, she hoped she might have her burrow again, for it was really inconvenient for her to be without it any longer; she must, therefore, be so free as to desire her to provide herself with other lodgings as soon as she could. The other replied that truly she was ashamed of having kept her so long out of her own house, but it was not upon her own account (for, indeed, she was well enough to go anywhere) so much as that of her young, who were yet so weak that she was afraid they would not be able to follow her; and if she would be so good as to let her stay a fortnight longer she should take it for the greatest obligation in the world. The second Rabbit was so good-natured and compassionate as to comply with this request, too, but at the end of the term came and told her positively that she must turn out, for she could not possibly let her be there a day longer. 'Must turn out!' said the first Rabbit. 'We will see about that; for I promise you, unless you can beat me and my whole litter of young, you are never likely to have anything more to do here.' "_

 _The moral is "Give someone an inch and they'll take a mile." But what's notable to me is that no mention is made of the two rabbits' mates. In addition, as we saw in the last chapter, bunnies typically have large families, so there's no reason to assume that the first rabbit would stop at one litter._

 _Even in the modern world, there's a wide range of mammalian reproduction. And mating and marriage are still somewhat linked to reproduction, although this will vary between groups, and individuals within groups. Not everyone has the Bunnyburrow mindset that animals should have offspring, the more the better, but the assumption remains. How does this affect mixed couples, in reality and in lore, in a world where, as I noted earlier, even rabbits and hares can't reproduce? And what about the ultimate taboo, predator/prey relationships?_

 _A girl I knew in Bunnyburrow was a prey animal with a crush on a predator. She was a good girl and she never told him how she felt, but to this day she still thinks about him and wonders what would've happened if she'd been brave enough to cross species lines._

Nick knew it was crazy even as he thought it, but the first thing to cross his mind was that Sharla was talking about Judy. Nick's Judy. Who was the predator? Not Gideon he hoped. No, she wasn't the sort to fall for a bully, especially not one who hadn't yet apologized. But there were other predators in Bunnyburrow, right? He vaguely remembered felines in the high school yearbook she'd shown him one rainy Sunday afternoon in her apartment. And she was still awfully chummy with that accountant guy, Jaguar.

He shook his head. Judy's courage almost never failed her, so if she had had a crush on a predator back then, she would've done something about it. Also, when he'd first sarcastically brought up the idea of them dating, it didn't seem like anything like that had ever occurred to her. She later told him that she hadn't really given her love life serious thought till she really got to know him. All her boyfriends before Nick were bunnies and casual.

Then Nick realized, the "girl Sharla knew" was probably herself. She was the one with a crush on a predator, maybe one of the felines or maybe someone else. Not Gideon. Heck, maybe it wasn't even someone she went to school with. It could've been a celebrity, like Clawhauser with Gazelle, although the line about "never telling him" suggested that it was someone she'd at least met and gotten to know.

Nick yawned. It was going to take a lot of willpower, but he needed to get some sleep before discussing this with Judy. And frost on the ground or not, they'd have to discuss it outside, away from the cottage and its mysterious other occupant.


	37. The Eagle, the Cat, and the Wild Sow

Gossips are to be seen and not heard. —Aesop

.

"I'm sorry," Nick said, after they'd walked once around the clearing, silent except for the frost under their feet.

"It's OK," she said. "I guess I would've read ahead if I'd had the chance."

"Oh, yeah, that. I meant sorry about calling you Rabbit."

She blinked. "What?"

" 'Rabbit, I did what you asked. You can't keep me on the hook forever.' And 'Are all rabbits bad drivers or is it just you?' Remember?"

She shook her head. "You think that's the part that was offensive?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, you're a hare, right? Fast runner. Black-tipped ears."

"Yes, technically, Nick, but to be honest, most bunnies use the terms interchangeably."

"Oh. So I am off the hook?"

"For felony tax evasion?"

Now he shook his head. "For reading ahead."

She sighed. "I guess. Did you read the whole chapter?"

"No, just enough."

"So what do you mean you know what's in it?"

"Well, there's a lot of stuff, but she talks about a prey girl she knew in Bunnyburrow who had a crush on a male predator."

"Really? Wow! I never heard anything like that, but I could be pretty oblivious to gossip."

"No, it was a secret crush. I, I think it was Sharla."

"Oh!"

"She never told you?"

"No, not exactly. But when you went to get our stuff from downtown, I talked to her about our relationship."

He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Nick."

"No, I'm getting used to it. How did she react?"

"She seemed open-minded. I mean, she's written about mixed relationships in Chapter Thirteen, right?"

"Yeah."

"And when I asked her if she was involved with anyone, she hesitated and said she wasn't but we could talk about it when I finish the book."

"So she might be that infatuated girl, right?"

"Yes, maybe. Or she knew her at least. I don't know. I mean, I should probably talk to Sharla and not just about that. There's also Chapter Twelve."

"What's wrong with Chapter Twelve? Very informative."

So he hadn't picked up on it like she had. "All that stuff about me and my family?"

"Oh, right. So she doesn't like your mom's carrot stew. I do and I'm the potential in-law."

"Nick."

"Still not a proposal."

"Good, because your timing would really stink."

"Thanks."

"I meant I don't think she should've mentioned that one of her best friends grew up to be a bunny cop."

"She's proud of you."

"Yeah, but now I'm supposed to be protecting her."

"Well, she didn't know that back when she wrote it."

Judy sighed. "I guess. I just feel weird being in the book."

"Hey, wait till the revised paperback edition comes out and we'll be all over the new version of Chapter Thirteen."

Judy groaned, not even sure if he was kidding. "Nick, I like Sharla and I want to protect her, but this is a very weird set-up."

"So are you saying you want to hand the case over to someone else?"

"No, of course not, I just— I don't know, maybe we should've read the book before we volunteered for this."

"You do have a tendency to rush into things, don't you, Fluff?"

"I guess I thought you'd be the restraining influence."

"Not my job, Carrots. I'm the bad boy who corrupts you into dealing with shifty lowlifes and organized crime."

"Ah, thanks for clarifying."

"So, getting back to Sharla's crush—"

"I never realized how much of a gossip you are, Nick."

He shrugged. "I know everyone and I like to know what I can about them."

"Uh huh."

"Besides, as I was going to say, this may actually have some bearing on this case."

"What? You think the crush's friends have figured it out and are harassing her online?"

"That's a possibility, but I was thinking more along the lines of what if she wrote this entire book as a sort of twisted love letter to Mr. X?"

"It was her Master's thesis!

"So she says."

"Do you think she's lying?"

"Maybe, maybe not. In any case, maybe it started out that way but that's not to say she might not have had other motives in writing it. For all we know, all these online harassers of hers are sockpuppets."

"Nick, that's a terrible thing to say!"

"Hear me out, Rab— Hare."

She crossed her arms. "Go on."

"Or it could be set up by Saiga Press as a publicity stunt. In any case, the publishers make some money and Merino gets a little fame, or infamy, grabbing Mr. X's attention."

"And then what, Nick?" She unfolded her arms and pointed at the path down the hill. "Mr. X is going to find the safehouse and come running down the path at any moment, with a bouquet of flowers?"

"Sharla might think that."

"She's not crazy. You on the other hand..."

"OK, maybe it's nothing that dramatic. But let's say you'd had a secret crush on a predator."

"I'll use my imagination," she said dryly.

He ignored that and continued, "Wouldn't you be tempted to drop a hint about it in a book where you discuss interspecies relationships? Especially if you were already making personal observations?"

"Well, maybe." She shook her head again. "I just don't get it."

"Don't get what, Fluff?"

"Why the hyena called the book a somewhat dry and academic study."

"What hyena?"

"The one on the talk show where we first heard about the controversy."

"Oh, right." Nick chuckled.

"What?"

"Well, OK, I know you think I overly stereotype animals, but that hyena was the calmest, least hysterical member on the panel. Kind of ironic, don't you think?"

Judy didn't laugh. "Nick, what if that show was, I don't know, some sort of diversionary tactic?"

"Diversionary in what way? By whom? Towards or away from what?"

"I don't know. It seemed to be stirring up the controversy, except for that hyena."

He shrugged. "Most shows are about ratings, making money. Even the 'lone reasonable commentator' is just another role."

She sighed. "I guess."

"Look, Judy, it's cold out here and we should probably get back inside before Sharla starts to wonder. But I didn't want Chapter Thirteen to blindside you."

"Thank you."

"Are you going to be able to act like normal around her?"

"I guess. I mean, well, she must know that we're going to have some reaction to her book. I can't imagine the average mammal reading it without some opinion, and obviously I'm going to take it more personally than most."

Nick chuckled again. "Yeah, especially after you read about the Two Rabbits."

"What?"

He smiled slyly. "You really need to read that page for yourself."


	38. The Dog & the Hare

**Author's Note: Yes, it's two back-to-back Judy chapters. It just worked out better this way. I will do two Nick chapters in a row to make up for it.**

.

No one can be a friend if you know not whether to trust or distrust him. —Aesop

.

 _...A girl I knew in Bunnyburrow was a prey animal with a crush on a predator. She was a good girl and she never told him how she felt, but to this day she still thinks about him and wonders what would've happened if she'd been brave enough to cross species lines..._

Judy of course wondered who the predator boy was. Their high school was mostly prey, especially bunnies, but there were some male predators, besides Gideon and his weasel sidekick Travis. Judy couldn't imagine Sharla liking either of them. Sharla hadn't dated much, but Judy had assumed that was because there weren't many sheep to choose from and because Sharla was quiet and shy. What if it was because she couldn't have the boy she wanted?

Yes, it could've been a different prey girl. Their group (not a clique, since Judy tried to be friends with almost everyone) had also included Genny Rothschild, a giraffe, and Lexie Loxodonta, an elephant. Like Sharla, they hadn't dated much, but they were taller than most of the boys, and again there weren't a lot of animals of their respective species. No one in Bunnyburrow dated outside of their species, now that Judy thought about it, although they might be friends and even dance together at school dances, but not as dates. Really, they'd mostly just hung out as a group. Judy had boyfriends because, well, she was pretty and popular and nice, if that wasn't conceited to think about herself. Anyway, her boyfriends were part of the gang and they were a couple within that gang. Even in college, she didn't spend much time on her own with just one boy.

When Nick came along, long before they dated, he was actually the first animal she'd really been on her own with. Even when they were around other animals, it was as a team. Yes, a reluctant team at first, especially on his part, but by the time they left the Rainforest District that first dawn, they were connected one-to-one, as she'd never been with any living being before. She loved her family dearly, and she was able to see them as individuals, but it was nothing like this.

When she told Nick before the fateful press conference, "I've been thinking, it would be nice to have a partner," she'd meant as a police officer, but she was also offering him a best-friendship beyond anything she'd had before. She of course hadn't known it would turn romantic, but she was very glad that their best-friendship was part of the romance. She felt sorry for anyone who wasn't best friends with their romantic partner.

She realized she'd distracted herself from the book. It wasn't that she didn't want to read Chapter Thirteen. She was obviously very curious about it. But she knew that as soon as she read it, she and Sharla could no longer put off the conversation they needed to have. Unless Sharla wanted her to wait till she read the whole book? Judy hoped there weren't too many more chapters. She was trying not to peek ahead, but she was aware that the bookmark had made its way past the center of the book. And some of the remaining pages would have to be Bibliography, Notes, Index, and maybe Appendices. (She'd probably skip those.)

 _...These are lines are very difficult to cross. Even if a couple can get past the prejudices between predator and prey, or for that matter between predator and predator or prey and prey, there are still the prejudices of the larger society. As much as a couple may want to feel like their relationship is their own business, mating (even a one-night stand) is never in isolation. Mating is still connected in many minds to marriage, and marriage is a social contract._

 _This is especially clear in Jane Pawsten's aptly titled_ Pride  & Prejudice, _about a rich and arrogant lion who is shocked to find himself falling for a witty middle-class tiger. Lions and tigers can mate and reproduce, but two hundred years ago this was much more frowned upon. (Chapter Fourteen will address the situation of the offspring of mixed matings.)_

Well, that answered the question of whether there were more chapters coming up.

 _Despite the controversy, or maybe because of it, interspecies relationships have long held a fascination for readers. Differences of economic class and personality may also be part of the contrast, as in Pawsten's novel, or in the still fondly remembered sitcom_ Zoo's the Boss? _Interestingly, both mixed couples were feline, which may have to do with cats generally not varying in size and looks as dramatically as some genera, but may also be due to the dual image cats have in the popular imagination: aloof and yet sensuous. Both Dorsey and Panthera are repressed but capable of great passion, especially when released by their earthier partners. Tony is of course more earthy than Miss Bonnet, but it is notable that one of the things that Lassie does that attracts Dorsey and shocks his prim female friends is walking through mud to see her sick sister. And, yes, both Tony and Lassie are tigers, which some regard as the sexiest of the cat family. (It's not coincidental that pop singer Gazelle's back-up dancers are four scantily clad male tigers.)_

 _Taboos can be shocking but they can also be irresistible. Readers who would never dare date outside their species can escape into the fantasies of fiction, imagining themselves as one of the romantic leads, or more remotely just wishing the couple happiness together. Even romances that end tragically can be cathartic, as the reader cries for the impossibility of the relationship._

 _Does this have an impact on reality? It's difficult to say. Sometimes stories inspire us to make changes in our own lives, to be like characters, or to avoid their fates. Most readers of interspecies romances probably don't seek out their own such relationships, but they might become more open-minded about such relationships. On the other hand, they may see such relationships as separate from reality._

 _Whatever the impact, the following examples show the hold that such taboo lore continues to have for some. Whether it's the whimsy of the poem "The Owl & The Pussycat" (not only mixed, but bird/mammal!) or the once very popular _Crepuscular _series (where a clumsy middle-class sheep has to choose between a rich, aloof lion and a hot-tempered, working-class wolf), readers, even young readers, are fascinated by couples who would probably be condemned or at least frowned upon in real life..._

Judy set down the book. Now she knew what was in Chapter Thirteen. But she still wasn't ready to talk to Sharla. She wanted to wait till she'd read more. She wasn't sure if Sharla was simply discussing controversy or trying to profit from it. And she wanted to better understand how personal the book was to the author, and why.


	39. The Lion in Love

Even the wildest can be tamed by love. —Aesop

.

"So the lamb wanted to lay down with the lion."

Judy shook her head. "We don't know that."

"Yeah, you're right. She seems to have more of a thing for tigers."

"So does half of the Gazelle Fan Club."

"True. So are you done with Chapter Thirteen?"

"Yes. I even read the stories."

"Good. So are you going to talk to her?"

She sighed and glanced back at the cottage. They were walking the perimeter again. It seemed like something they should do as bodyguards and it did give them a chance to talk relatively privately. "I don't know. Maybe I should wait till I finish reading the book."

"So you haven't read Fourteen yet?"

"No, have you?"

"I was going to start it but I wanted to check in with you first."

"Thanks. Nick, I'm so confused. Was she just writing this book to make money?"

"What if she was? There's nothing wrong with that."

"There is if she was exploiting the tension between mammals."

"Sexual tension or species tension?"

"Nick."

"I'm serious, Fluff. There's the tension when different species are pitted against each other, like the anti-pred mood a few months ago. And then there's the whole taboo, forbidden-love angle which the Chapter Thirteen stories are about. And they're not unrelated."

She wrinkled her forehead. "How do you mean?"

"Well, obviously there's the whole predator preying on prey ancient past. Which her book shows still affects us all. So that's part of why mixed matings are taboo. And then the fact that, despite all the animals who are against interspecies relationships, some mixed couples still get together, well, that just adds fuel to the speciesists' nightmares."

"Let a fox buy from an elephant ice cream parlor and before you know it, he'll be dating your daughter?"

"Something like that, although I've never been attracted to elephants myself. Nothing against Francine. Or Nangi."

"Nick, what is your point?"

"Patience, Carrots. My point is, it's all tied together, fear, desire, hate, love. And, no, I don't think Sharla is exploiting it. Her publisher, maybe. Sharla wrote something really personal, or at least really personal for a Master's thesis. I think she was trying to clear up all these mixed feelings in her own mind. And the book has obviously struck a chord, even if the reaction we've most been hearing about it is hostile."

"That makes me feel a little better, that she was writing it out of confusion."

He chuckled. "Well, good."

"But I still need to talk to her when I'm done."

"Of course."

"The other thing is, well, do you think it's the zeitgeist or the book itself?"

"Zeitgeist?"

"Yes, the mood of the times."

"Yeah, I know what zeitgeist is."

"I'm sorry."

He knew he was over-reacting. He was self-conscious sometimes about her having more years of formal education than he did. "Forget it."

"Anyway, maybe if her book had come out at another time, not so close to the, well, what happened that made me quit the ZPD."

Sometimes she couldn't easily talk about that time. He didn't tease her because it wasn't easy for him to talk about either.

"So you think the timing is exploitative?"

"I don't know. I guess, well, maybe it's always been like this, but some things came to the surface."

"Yeah," he said quietly. He'd always been aware of the species tension, but for her, growing up in Bunnyburrow, idealizing the City, it must still feel like something new. He wondered when Sharla had started to realize the truth. Maybe when she went off to college. Meadowlands was a peaceful district, but it was still part of Zootopia.

"Maybe it's good to have these things out in the open. I don't know."

"Yeah. Except that some animals are going to get hurt along the way. Like Bucky and Pronk. Maybe Sharla herself."

"Yeah. Maybe us."

He wanted to say that the only thing that could hurt him was if she left him because she was afraid of disapproval. If she left because she fell out of love with him, well, he wouldn't like it but he'd understand. The thing was, he knew they could be literally hurt. One or both of them could be the victim of a bashing like Bucky was, for the crime of loving outside his species.

Instead of saying anything, Nick just put his arms around Judy and held her close.

She snuggled against him and he wished they could stay like this, protecting each other forever.

After awhile though, she said, "It's getting colder and it's time for lunch."

He nodded and let go.

She backed off and then looked up at him. "Do you want to cuddle and read Chapter Fourteen together?"

He was very much tempted. But then he remembered the hints about Fourteen in Thirteen. "Let's wait for Fifteen, if there is one."

She blushed as if she was remembering, too. "OK," she said quietly.

Nick suddenly wondered, for the first time in weeks, what it would be like if they could, as her little siblings had put it, have boxes and funnies. He imagined a Finnick-sized fox with Judy's big purple eyes. Or maybe a smirking rabbit. He would love to have babies with Judy, and not just for the fun of making them. But part of him was glad they wouldn't be bringing children into this messed-up world. If they had to face so much resistance as a couple, what would their offspring have to endure? On the other hand, if they could have offspring, then maybe there wouldn't be as much resistance. No, there would still be animals who didn't think predators and prey could make a family together.

Well, even without kits, Judy was sort of his family now, and she always would be, no matter what happened in their relationship.

It was in that frame of mind that Nick went back inside, made small talk with Sharla and Judy over lunch, and then headed up to his room to read Chapter Fourteen.


	40. The Mule

Be sure of your pedigree before you boast of it. —Aesop

.

 _Chapter Fourteen: Lions and Tigers and...Oh My!_

 _As we saw in the previous chapter, part of the taboo against mixed matings is that they generally can't produce offspring. For some, this makes the relationship seem to be more recreational, since it's not procreational, although this isn't necessarily true. However, there are mixed matings that can lead to babies, although these babies are often infertile, or at least were before modern technology came along._

 _A case in point, or rather two similar cases, are ligers and tigons. The former have lion fathers and tiger mothers, while it's the reverse for the latter. Both types are simultaneously spotted and striped, but tigons show their tiger ancestry in appearance more than ligers do. Both are very social and enjoy swimming. Ligers are larger than both parents, while tigons are smaller. And unlike many "half-breeds," ligers and tigons are capable of themselves reproducing. If a female tigon marries a male tiger, they might have titiger cubs, 75% tiger._

 _It's easy to see why Dorsey and Lassie still capture the romantic imagination. Their love has obstacles, but not insuperable ones. However, it's not just lions & tigers as couples. Jaguars and leopards can also have cubs with lions and tigers. Had Dorsey married a jaguar instead, they could've produced liguars, or if he'd chosen a leopard bride, perhaps they'd have had lipards. If Dorsey's younger sister had similar grooms, then he might be uncle to jaglions or leopons. Similarly, Lassie's youngest sister Tigria marries a jaguar, so if she and Wickhed have cubs, they will be jaggers, but if he were a leopard, their offspring would be leogers. And Lassie's cousin Mr. Volans marries her best friend and by the end of the novel Charleop is pregnant with a tigard, but if she were a jaguar, it would be a baby tiguar._

 _As with the titiger, mixed breeds are possible into the next generation, although generally a "half-breed" would have to mate with a "full-breed" to produce offspring. For instance, if Dorsey and Lassie had a daughter and this ligress married a jaguar, Lassie's grandchildren would be jagligers. However, it is possible for a liguaress (daughter of a lion father and jaguar mother) to mate with a leopon (son of a leopard father and lioness mother) and produce leoligulors. In other words, 50% lion, 25% jaguar, and 25% leopard._

Nick's head was starting to hurt, trying to keep track of all this. It definitely supported his theory that Sharla took a special interest in felines, although of course she must've known that a ewe couldn't breed with a, for instance, leopard. "A sheepard," he murmured and then chuckled.

 _I've gone into the science on this because hybrids are a reality. From wholphins to zorses, zonies, and zonkies, children of mixed matings do exist. I even have a cousin who's a geep, with a nanny mother. Interestingly, his siblings are all either goats or sheep, while he's the only one to resemble both parents. In some ways, he's had a more difficult time being accepted by those he encounters, who sometimes inquire, not necessarily meaning to be rude, "What are you?" However, he identifies with and is proud of both sides of his family. His brothers and sisters love both parents of course, but their species identity is less of a daily question. Instead, they are assumed to be "full-breeds," which can create other problems, as half of their heritage is invisible to others unless they point it out._

 _We live in a land that claims to be free and equal, that celebrates both differences and commonalities. As we've seen, Zootopia doesn't always live up to those ideals. Mammals with mixed backgrounds often learn this at an early age._

 _And yet, if your parents are both cats, or both have hooves, the prejudice against you is not as strong as it would be against a hypothetical child of, let us say, a zebra and a jaguar. That zaguar would be a living embodiment of the crossing of the line between prey and predator. Of course, a jaguar and a zebra could date or even marry but they cannot have children. For now._

 _But what about in a century or two? What if science advances faster than society? What if now impossible cross-breeds become medically possible? Will they face incredible prejudice? Or will an increased number of mixed children lead to more acceptance? Perhaps in a few hundred years, almost everyone will be mixed and "full-breeds" will be the exception._

 _If so, what will the transitional period be like? Will some obsess over "species purity" and futilely attempt to re-separate the species? Or in a land where anyone can be anything, will we want everyone to be everything? What stories will tell of these hopes and fears?_

 _Consider the word "chimera." It has two meanings. The original is a mythical "fire-breathing female monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail." It sounds like it would be monstrous to be a mix of a goat, lion, and serpent. (Gionpent?) And yet, the other meaning is "a thing that is hoped or wished for but in fact is illusory or impossible to achieve."_

 _Maybe all along, since lions, goats, and other mammals first gathered at the Watering Hole, we've been seeking a merger while half believing it can't happen. This contradiction is built into the lore of Zootopia, reflecting and shaping our reality, or at least our perceptions of our reality. At the time of the recent species conflict, pop singer Gazelle said, "Zootopia is a unique place. It's a crazy, beautiful, diverse city where we celebrate our differences. This is not the Zootopia I know. The Zootopia I know is better than this."_

 _What is the story of the Zootopia_ _you_ _know?_

And then the next page was the beginning of the end notes. Nick set down his Brindle, feeling drained. He didn't know what to think of Sharla or her book, but he couldn't wait to talk them over with Judy.


	41. The Monkeys & Their Mother

The best intentions will not always ensure success. —Aesop

.

"Sharla, can I talk to you?"

Her friend set down her knitting. "Of course, Judy."

Judy took the chair opposite the sofa. She'd considered discussing this with Nick first but she wasn't sure if he'd finished yet. And she was friends with Sharla long before she met Nick. "It's about your book."

Sharla nodded for Judy to continue. She must've been waiting for this moment.

"Well, first of all, I want you to know it's very interesting."

Sharla smiled a little. "You didn't enjoy it, did you?"

"Well, that's not your fault. I mean, some of it was—"

Sharla nodded. "There are some painful or at least uncomfortable things in there."

"Yeah. Sharla, I'm not sure how to put this, but did you write the book to upset animals?"

Sharla sighed. "No, not exactly."

"Not exactly?"

"Well, first of all, I wrote it to get my Master's. But it kept growing, and everyone I showed it to was interested in it. I think it gets to them, you know?"

Judy nodded. "Were you trying to get to them?"

"No, not exactly," Sharla said more slowly this time. "I guess I wanted to make readers think about reality and fiction and how they relate. But that's very personal of course."

"You, you made the book personal. You shared some things about yourself. And, and about me and my family."

"Does that bother you?"

Judy felt like yelling at her friend. Of course it bothered her! But she wanted yelling to be a last resort. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Even though it wasn't anything bad, I feel weird being in your book."

"But you were one of the inspirations for it."

Judy stared at her. "I was?"

"Of course. You lived out your childhood dream, despite the obstacles. You befriended a fox, even though Gideon was a jerk to us. You're what the story of Zootopia is all about."

Judy frowned. She was reminded of another sheep telling her, "Our city is 90% prey, Judy, and right now, they're just really scared. You're a hero to them. They trust you. And so that's why Chief Bogo and I want you to be the public face of the ZPD."

"Sharla, I'm not some kind of hero. I have flaws, big flaws."

"But that makes you even more of a heroine. Of course you're not perfect. None of us is. I know that you grew up with the same prejudices I did, but you've tried to change. And you've encouraged others to grow and change. I admire that."

"Well, thank you."

"I'm not as brave as you are. But part of why I wrote the book was to do what I could. I wanted readers to look into their own hearts and minds, see what stories they believe and whether these stories are helpful or hurtful." Sharla sighed. "Unfortunately, just even asking the questions made a lot of animals angry."

"Oh, Sharla." Judy wanted to both shake her and give her a big hug.

"The other reason I wrote the book is of course because of Bob."

Judy stared at her.

"Hey, Roomies, I just figured out a way to order a pizza without blowing our cover."

...

The signal in the cottage was weak but Nick was able to reach Finnick. It only took a couple texts back and forth to communicate, since they'd known each other so long. (Well, he and Flash had known each other almost as long, but that wouldn't have been as speedy a communication.)

Nick went downstairs to tell the girls that he was treating them to pizza in celebration of having finished reading Sharla's book. (Well, except for the index and all that.) It had been one of the toughest books he'd ever read, not because of vocabulary or anything like that. It hadn't overly used academic language, which had been one of his fears. But it had talked about a lot of heavy subjects and until he got to that last question in Chapter Fourteen, he'd wondered if he was going to make it. He almost envied Judy reading the print version, because there's something about a physical book that really lets you feel like you're through. With an eBook, he could just go on and read something else on his Brindle, rather than shut the covers and be done.

He assumed she was done reading. She wasn't in her room, and they'd both gone upstairs after lunch, in agreement to read Chapter Fourteen separately. He hoped to catch her before she saw Sharla, but if not, well, she'd tell him about it afterwards.

He couldn't quite make out what they were saying as he descended the stairs, and they were silent when he entered the living room. He had a feeling he had come in at an awkward time, but the best thing to do in that case was to pretend everything was fine.

They both looked at him after he made his announcement.

"Uh, Nick," Judy said, "we just had lunch a little while ago."

"I know but this is for dinner."

"That's very nice of you, Nick," Sharla said. "But you don't have to go to that much trouble."

"No trouble at all. I've got a friend who's got connections."

Judy frowned. "Not the one whose grandmother made you cannoli?"

"Uh, no, not that a big friend." Well, Finnick was physically larger than Mr. Big, but he figured Judy would know what he meant.

"Have you ordered yet?" Sharla asked.

"No, I just checked to see if he can get it and deliver it to Taiga Street."

"Good. Can you get clover as one of the toppings?"

"I can ask. You might have to settle for parsley."

"That would be fine."

"Carrots? I mean, Judy, do you know what you want on it?"

"Um, why don't we talk about that upstairs?"

"Sure." Nick knew, and probably Sharla knew, that it wasn't the pizza that Judy wanted to discuss in private.


	42. The Wild Boar & the Fox

Preparedness for war is the best guarantee of peace. —Aesop

.

"How did it go?"

Judy wasn't sure where to start, and then she found herself blurting out, "She said one reason she wrote it was because of Bob."

"Who's Bob?"

"Well, my first thought was my baby brother, but that didn't really make any sense."

"Yeah, he's, what, seven? She wouldn't know him that well, would she?"

"No. And then when you were talking about the pizza, I realized, she meant Bobby Catmull!"

"Who's Bobby Catmull again?"

"He was in school with us. He's a cougar. I haven't seen him in six or seven years."

"Hm. She does seem very interested in felines."

"Well, there's a lot about bunnies and other animals in the book, too. But, yes, I think he's her predator crush."

"I wonder if he knows."

"I don't think so. If he didn't know it when we were younger, I don't think he'd make the connection even if he read the book now."

"And you haven't talked to her about it yet."

"No, I, I don't know what to say."

"You guys should talk about it. Maybe after dinner."

She nodded. "I think you're right."

"I'll go for a walk, or stay in my room."

She kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Nick."

"No problem. In the meantime, I think, since we're both basically done with the book, we should take a look at the negative online feedback. See if there's a pattern or if it's just a random assortment of hostile mammals."

She sighed. "I suppose. But I would like to see the nice things folks have said, too. I mean, there must be some who liked it, maybe even found it inspiring."

"Probably. But they're not the ones who might show up at the cottage with an axe and/or lighter fluid."

"You have a very macabre sense of humor sometimes, Nick."

"Sorry. And maybe the threats won't translate into real-life action. But I still think it's time to get a better sense of what we're dealing with here."

She sighed. "OK. What first?"

"Mastodon. Anything too violent or abusive will have been removed by now, but we can see what the mildly hostile crowd thinks."

"All right."

He took out his phone and went to the extremely popular online book-etc.-seller. She was sitting next to him on the bed and watched as he typed in "Zooto Lore." Then he clicked on the "reviews" and went to the one-stars. "What is it with people who give a product a bad review because the delivery was too slow? Why doesn't Mastodon just delete these?"

"Never mind. Just scroll to the ones where they actually talk about the book."

"Patience, Carrots. OK, how about this one?"

Judy read aloud, " _Trash posing as research: Merino's book purports to be a serious study of Zootopian myth and legend but in fact concentrates on the seamiest parts of the city's past. It's also poorly organized and has trouble making its few feeble points._ Ouch."

"My turn. Oo, here's a good one. _The writer acts like pred-prey relationships are 'oo, so naughty.' What is she, 12?_ Double ouch."

"Nick, I feel bad for Sharla reading these. I mean, not just that animals wrote this but that we're wallowing in it."

"We're not doing this out of schadenfreude, Fluff."

"Look, at you, Mr. Junior High Drop-Out, with the fifty-dollar vocabulary."

"Yeah, well. Anyway, I'll admit that the sadistic bastard side of me, the side that enjoyed seeing a bunny cop fail, feels better about my own sad, miserable life. But we do need to know this stuff. OK, Judy?"

She sighed and nodded. "But let's look at some two-stars, OK?"

"OK." He clicked over to those. "Bla bla bla, summary. Here we go. _...What I don't understand is why the writer has to focus on the past so much. We've all evolved beyond our primitive selves and ancient history is just that. Dwelling on the past is itself speciesist._ Interesting. Not hostile per se but it does question the point of even writing the book."

"I don't think that's one of the animals who threatened her."

"Well, no, but they're probably not writing Mastodon reviews. I'm just trying to get a sense of what the issues are about the book."

"Do you find it offensive?"

"Of course not. I mean, yeah, the collar chapter wasn't a fun read, but I can kind of see why she was doing this."

"She said another reason she wrote it—"

"Besides Bob Catmull?"

"Yeah. She wrote it partly to make mammals think about these ideas."

"Well, she's done that, but I don't think some of them wanted to think about it. Check this one out."

Judy looked at the one he'd brought up. " _...The most offensive chapter is of course the one about so called 'mixed relationships.' She doesn't seem to realize that Nature designed the species to not intermarry. They can't have offspring, and if they can those offspring are going to be infertile. Not only that, but some mammals are too far apart in size to even mate comfortably, unless she's talking about unnatural practices."_ Judy blushed, but Nick laughed. "It's not funny!"

"You kidding, Cottontail? That's hilarious!"

Judy rolled her eyes.

"I've got this visual of a mouse kissing an elephant from head to tail."

"Please, Nick."

"Whatsamatter, Fluff? Are you prejudiced against mixed couples?"

"No, I just— OK, it is weird when there's a huge size difference."

"Not like a three-foot bunny and a four-foot fox?"

"Well, no."

"What about a three-foot-six ewe and a, I'm guessing, six-foot cougar?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Bobby was almost that tall in high school."

"Do you think she's too small for him?"

"I don't know, Nick. I mean, if he feels the same way about her as she does about him, then obviously I'd be happy for them."

"OK. But you know, they would get even funnier looks than we get."

"Maybe. And cougars used to be one of sheep's natural enemies. Along with, um."

"Foxes?"

"Well, yes."

"And elephants are scared of mice. But if you're in love, animals seem less scary. Except for bunnies. They get scarier."

It seemed like a good moment to tickle Nick, even if it wasn't exactly bodyguard behavior.


	43. The Teeth of the Hydra

"Sharla," Nick said, "we want to see your hate mail."

Judy shook her head, but Nick thought there was no good way to ease into the subject. And from what he'd observed, Sharla liked directness.

"You mean the emails and everything?"

"Yeah. I didn't see any of the hostile messages at your website, or the one for your publisher."

"No, it's all been taken down by now. It's bad for publicity."

"Right." Nick wasn't so sure about that. He still wondered if Saiga was exploiting the situation. After all, controversy meant attention, and they might want to play the "read the book everyone is talking about" card.

"But I can access it if you want to see it."

"You saved it?" Judy asked. Nick understood her surprise. Judy wouldn't want to dwell on the negative.

"Well, yes, isn't that what you're supposed to do with harassment, document it, track it?"

"Yeah," Nick said. "And, well, we're pretty good detectives, so we might be able to see if there's a pattern. Or clues that give away who sent it."

Sharla nodded. "I hope so. How about I send you the messages in an email file?"

"That works."

"Um, I do have to warn you, some of it is, well, pretty cruel."

Nick resisted saying he didn't expect hate mail to be kind. Instead he said, "OK."

"I hope it won't upset you, Judy."

The bunny looked torn between wanting to be the soft-hearted, sympathetic friend and the tough big-city cop. She hesitated and then said, "We need to know."

Sharla nodded again. "Do you want me to send it now or after dinner?"

"After dinner," Nick said quickly. He didn't want it ruining his appetite. Also, he knew that Judy would have a hard time facing Sharla right after reading the messages.

"OK."

"Sharla," Judy said, "can we go for a walk?"

"Of course. Let me just get a sweater." Sharla went upstairs.

"Are you going to talk to her about Catmull or something else?"

Judy sighed. "We have a lot to talk about."

"Good luck," he said, giving her a quick hug.

"Thank you."

Sharla came back in a wool sweater. Nick couldn't help wondering if all these things she knitted were from her own wool, and if she sheared herself or had a friend do it. He realized that these were not questions he could ask her, at least not till he knew her much better. He didn't always have the best personal boundaries, although he was better about it than he was before he became friends with Judy. Not that he particularly regretted touching Bellwether's wool without permission. Yeah, it was impolite, but compared to her trying to set him up to go savage and murder Judy, he thought it was a mild infringement.

He wondered if it was safe for Sharla to go outside. Yes, she'd be with Judy, but what if someone fired at her from a distance, like Doug the sniper did with the Night Howler serum? It'd be very easy for someone to hide in these woods. But Nick supposed that a shooter would've had to have been staking out the safehouse for awhile, just waiting for a chance like this, and it seemed like he and Judy would've spotted them by now. Unless they just suddenly showed up out of nowhere at the right moment.

Nick thought back to his police training. They hadn't really covered a situation like this. Mostly it was about procedure, from how to frisk to how to fill out paperwork. Even the crisis training covered what to do if something happened, not so much what to do if it might happen, beyond stay alert.

"Have a good walk," he said.

They nodded and went outside. Nick wasn't sure what to do now. He could station himself at the window, ready to dash out if needed. But he knew Judy would come and get him if she needed him. So he decided to do the dishes. Most of the housework had fallen on Sharla, her choice, but Nick figured he could pitch in more.

As he filled the sink with hot water, he wondered how long they were going to be there. It was like they were waiting for a crisis. If nothing bad ever happened, or at least if it took a long time to happen, how would they know when they were through? It'd only been a few days but felt longer. He and Judy had talked before about this lasting weeks or months. Would they or someone else have to capture the online harassers? And even if they did, would that be the end of it? What if there were other animals who felt that way?

He thought back to their last big case. They'd made a nice, dramatic, tail-kicking group arrest, but in point of fact, they still didn't know, weeks later, who was guilty of what. With their first big case, they'd made two big arrests, Lionheart and then Bellwether. With Lionheart, they were so sure he was guilty. He had the motive, opportunity, etc., including what seemed to be a confession. And he was guilty of a cover-up but his guilt was minor compared to the next mayor's. (The last Nick heard, Lionheart's powerful family was working towards a full pardon.) With Bellwether, they wouldn't have found out if she hadn't tried to frame Nick. And that time they wanted to make sure they had the right animal.

This time? He doubted there was some criminal mastermind orchestrating the threats. And even if there were, it would be like the, what was it? The hydra? You lop off the head and it grows more. Nick sighed and started washing the dishes. He found himself singing, "Get It On (Bang a Gong)" from his dad's old Flea Rex album. He remembered teasing his dad, "Who still uses vinyl?" Nick had been only seven but already a smartmouth.

"...You've got the teeth of the hydra upon you. You're dirty sweet and you're my girl..."

He was glad the girls were outside and couldn't hear him. Then he imagined Judy coming in and catching him, teasing him about it. And maybe he would even sing to her, corny though that would be. He suddenly wished they were all alone and this was a honeymoon cottage. But it was definitely the wrong day to propose to her.


	44. The Boy & the Filberts

Do not attempt too much at once. —Aesop

.

"Are you warm enough, Judy? I can go back in and get you a hat, or a scarf."

"I'm fine, Sharla, thank you."

"So what did you want to talk about?"

Judy again wasn't sure where to start. But she decided she might as well start with "Bob." She cleared her throat. "Well, when we were talking about my relationship with Nick, you said you'd tell me about your, your situation when I was done with the book."

"Ah. Well, I'm not seeing anyone. I've never had a serious relationship. Some of that's because I'm shy. But also, well, because of Bob."

"Do you mean Bobby Catmull?"

"No one really calls him 'Bobby' since he grew up."

"Oh, I suppose not." Judy had once thought of going by "Judith" in everyday life, but she came from a family of multiple nicknames, and she thought of herself as "Judy," even if it didn't sound as serious. Then she realized something. "Are you in contact with him then?"

"A little. You know, social media, that kind of thing. He said to say hi to you after the County Fair."

"Oh. So." Judy hesitated again. "I'm still not clear what your relationship to him is. Is he just an acquaintance?"

"Yes, or a casual friend."

"But do you, do you have feelings for him?"

Sharla sighed. "It's not like, well, it's not like I'm obsessed with him or anything. But, yes, I had a crush on him when we were younger. And I never said anything. I wasn't brave enough to try for an interspecies relationship. And I don't think he ever thought of me that way. I was just the little sheep girl, you know?"

"But you don't know that for a fact, do you?"

"Well, no. But I couldn't tell him."

"You confessed it in your book!"

"Not exactly. I didn't say it was me, or him. And I doubt he'll make the connection."

"And what if he does?"

"Well, I guess it would depend on whether he sees it as a good or a bad thing."

"Did you write that hoping he'd figure it out?"

"I guess in a way I did. I was mostly trying to deal with my feelings. I mean, probably nothing will happen. But it felt good to say it, even indirectly."

"Have you thought about telling him now? I mean, you are in touch."

Sharla shook her head. "It would be too abrupt. It's not like you and Nick, where you were best friends and you went through a lot."

"Well, no. I guess maybe you'd have to work up to it."

"Besides, I'm not sure if this makes sense, but I've had the fantasy for so long that I'm afraid to give it up for reality, especially if the reality is very disappointing."

Judy nodded. "I see."

"Anyway," Sharla said wryly, "I seem to have created an environment that is not too receptive of mixed couples."

Judy thought of Chief Bogo saying, "Don't give yourself so much credit, Hopps. The world has always been broken." She sighed and said, "The prejudice was already there. Nick and I had to face some narrow minds even before your book got published. You've just brought things more to the surface."

"That still doesn't inspire me to ask Bob Catmull to dinner and a movie."

Judy laughed. "No, I guess it doesn't. But maybe you could risk asking him out for coffee."

"Maybe."

"Who knows? He might surprise you. In a good way, I mean."

"He might. And if he doesn't, can I cry on the phone to you?"

"Of course."

They hugged. Judy was glad they'd talked some more. They hadn't cleared everything up but she did feel better about Sharla and their friendship. Maybe by the end of their time in the safehouse, Sharla would end up Judy's best friend after Nick.

Judy wondered yet again how long this case would take. She and Nick had talked about weeks or even months. She wanted to protect Sharla as long as necessary, but she wished there was a way of knowing how long that would be. She suddenly had the feeling that it didn't matter what Sharla decided to do about Bob C., since Sharla wouldn't be able to go to the movies, or even coffee, until it was safe for her to be in public again.

"So you never guessed how I felt about Bobby? I mean back in high school."

Judy shook her head. "I'm not as tuned in to that kind of thing as some of my sisters are, and I think even they didn't notice." She suddenly felt a pang, wishing she could meet up with her sisters in the kitchen back home, pulling taffy and gossiping. But obviously this was not something she could share with even Gloria any time soon. Talking about it with Nick was different. He was her best friend and her boyfriend and her partner. Unless Sharla wouldn't want Nick to know. "Um, Sharla, is it OK if I tell Nick?"

"Of course. Unless he's planning on putting it out on his social media."

"No, Nick is pretty discreet."

"I was joking."

"Oh."

"He won't tease me about it, will he?"

"No, he doesn't know you well enough to tease you." That wasn't entirely true. Well, it was true that Nick didn't know Sharla very well. But he did sometimes tease animals he didn't know well. Not just Judy almost from the first but even Chief Bogo, whom no one else in the ZPD would dare tease.

Judy wondered for a moment how Bogo and the ZPD were getting along without her and Nick. Was it a relief to have them gone or were they missed? Well, Clawhauser probably missed them. She missed him, too. She missed a lot of animals, even though she hadn't been gone that long. Maybe it was because it felt like they'd be away for a long time.

"We should go back inside. It's chilly and you're not really dressed for it."

"Thanks, Mom," Judy grumbled. Then she thought of how Sharla would make a great mother, but she'd probably never have lambs because she'd either never let herself move beyond her crush on Bobby or because she'd get with him and they couldn't reproduce.

Sharla laughed. "Sorry, I'm used to treating Gareth like a kid, even though he's grown up now."

"Right. I'm that way with some of my siblings."

"I remember. Judy, do you—?"

"What?"

"Do you regret that you might not have kits?"

"Oh, not you, too!"

Sharla laughed again. "Never mind. Let's go back in."

Judy realized that she'd lost a chance to talk to someone who could understand her situation in a way that most female mammals couldn't. Well, there would be other chances. Neither of them was going anywhere for awhile.


	45. The Blind Vulture

Never treat someone whom you hardly know as a friend. —Hitopadesha Tales

.

Nick put away his phone. "Finnick will be here with the pizza in about fifteen minutes."

"Oh, I wish I could see him!"

"You want to go with me?"

"Of course, but I can't." Judy glanced at Sharla.

"I'll be fine, Judy. I was on my own before you two got here, and you won't be gone that long."

"Well, all right. Let me get my scarf."

Nick smiled. Sharla had given Judy one of the scarves she'd knitted and Judy looked very cute in it, with the different shades of purple that went well with her eyes.

"Do you want a scarf, Nick? Or a hat?"

"I'll take a hat, thanks."

The sheep handed him one with green stripes. The ear-holes were just about right for him when he put it on. Judy smiled at him when she returned.

"We'll be right back."

"OK, I'll make some lemonade to go with the pizza."

Nick and Judy went outside. There was frost on the ground but so far the snow had been light. He was glad they weren't deeper into Tundratown.

They held paws on the way. Hers was a little cold.

"Maybe we should see if Sharla will knit you some gloves."

"I'd rather hold your paw."

"Yeah, but I can only hold one at a time when we're walking."

"Well, the pizza will warm them both up."

"Yeah. So, uh, did you and Sharla have a good talk?"

"Yes. Nick, Bobby Catmull is the predator she wrote about."

"Yeah? Does he know?"

"I don't think so."

"Do you think he liked her?" Nick felt like they were in high school discussing this, but he couldn't help asking.

Judy shrugged. "I don't know. He was kind of quiet. Not shy like Sharla, but just very into his music. I guess he could've."

"But it's been seven years since you were all in high school, right? Even if he did, he's probably moved on by now."

"She hasn't."

"Well, no."

"Nick."

"What, Fluff?"

"What if one of us had a crush on the other one for years and didn't say anything?"

"Well, that would have to be me, because I'm the reserved one and you're the emotional one."

"I don't know. I could see not telling you because I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship. Or I might worry you'd make a joke out of it."

"Yeah, maybe, but not if I knew you were really serious. I tease but I try not to draw blood. Figuratively speaking."

"Right. Let's say I finally told you, or you told me, after all that time. What do you think would've happened?"

He shrugged. "Well, it'd be different for us because, I'm assuming, we would've been working together all that time. Maybe not as partners but in the same precinct. And maybe living next door to each other. And maybe still being best friends."

"Do you think that would make it easier or harder than Sharla's situation? I mean, she's only in light contact with Bobby."

"Well, easier in a way, because there would certainly be opportunities to tell each other. But harder because the crushee would wonder why the crusher hadn't said anything all that time."

"Yeah. Well, maybe it would be a situation where society had become more accepting of interspecies relationships over time. And then the crusher," she shook her head as she said the word, "would feel more comfortable telling the crushee."

"Yeah. Maybe Sharla was hoping to change society enough that she could tell Catmull. Of course, it looks more like she's changed things for the worse."

"Do you blame her for all this?"

"No, but you know the saying, play with fire and you get burned."

Judy pulled her paw away. "It's not her fault!"

"Come on, Carrots. I know that. It's just, well, this might not be the best time for her to tell him."

"It's not like she can anyway, when she's hiding away."

"Yeah." Nick thought of how the thought of proposing to Judy had crossed his mind in the kitchen. He certainly had the opportunity to actually propose to her. He could do it right then, but what if she said no? They'd be stuck awkwardly living and working together, in a more isolated setting than usual. Or if she said yes, it would have to be an engagement that would be long enough to at least cover the unspecified length of guard duty.

And Nick wasn't 100% sure he wanted to get married anyway. Yeah, he loved Judy and loved being with her, but was he ready to commit to a lifetime with her? Maybe in a few years, especially if animals became more accepting of their relationship. But what if that never happened? Were they supposed to "go steady" till they died?

He pictured himself suddenly dropping to one knee on the path, taking her paw again, and blurting out a proposal. She'd probably think he was kidding. And they were meeting Finnick in a few minutes. He could just imagine how that would add to the awkwardness. His oldest friend would be bound to pick up on it, no matter how Judy reacted.

Judy took his paw again and they didn't talk anymore until they saw Finnick's van.

"I love the mural on his van!" Judy exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool."

"The male fox looks a little like Finnick. Different coloring and taller of course, but something about the eyes and the scowl."

"Yeah," Nick said quietly.

"I wonder who the vixen is."

Nick hesitated and then said, "It represents his late wife."

"Oh, that's right! You told me she died. Poor Finnick. He must've been very young when it happened."

"Yeah, he was in his early 20s. And he's older than I am."

"You knew him then, right?"

"I've known him since we were little, although we didn't team up until we were teenagers."

"Oh. Um, how did she die?"

Nick hesitated and then quickly said, "She was a pizza waitress who got killed in a hold-up."

"And you made the poor guy bring us pizza?"

Nick shrugged. "It's been over ten years. And I told you he had connections."

Judy shook her head. "Sometimes I really don't understand how your mind works."

Nick thought but didn't say that he understood all too well how her mind worked.

Then Finnick opened the driver's door and stepped down. Judy rushed over and hugged him. Nick wanted to warn her that Finnick had to be approached cautiously, but it was too late. Finnick wouldn't bite Judy's face off, would he?

To Nick's surprise, Finnick hugged Judy back. Maybe Nick didn't understand his friends as well as he thought.


	46. The One-Eyed Doe

Trouble comes from the direction we least expect it. —Aesop

.

Judy hadn't planned to hug Finnick before Nick told her about Finnick's wife. She realized she didn't know Finnick all that well. They'd only met, what was it, three times? And the first time she thought he was an elephant-worshiping toddler. But she felt bad for him and he was Nick's best friend. Plus, Judy was an affectionate bunny and she was fond of Finnick. She knew he had a tough side but she forgot about it when she saw him.

He hugged back, despite the reserve of foxes. "Hey, Officer Toot-Toot."

She laughed and let go. "It's good to see you."

"Aah, I bet you say that to everyone who brings pizza."

She wanted to say something about his wife, but she decided it was better not to. Instead she said, "Thank you for coming out all this way."

"It's OK. I was heading for Tundratown anyhow."

She was tempted to ask why but decided not to.

"Hey, Buddy, how's it goin'?" Nick said, strolling over.

"Can't complain. How are you doin'?"

"All right I guess."

"You two havin' fun in your secret hideaway?"

Judy wondered what Nick had told him. Did he know about Sharla? Or did he think she and Nick had gone to the woods for some alone time?

"Yeah, I guess. Where's the pizza?"

Finnick shook his head. "In the back."

"Thanks." Nick strolled around to the back of the van.

Judy didn't know if this was because they were foxes or because they were male, but Nick and Finnick certainly had a different friendship than any she ever had. Even her brothers weren't this way with each other. She didn't doubt that the two foxes were devoted to each other, but cheeses forbid they ever express it!

"So, Rabbit, how long are you two gonna be here?"

"Uh, we're not sure."

"OK. Well, maybe I'll bring another pizza in a week."

"Thank you."

Finnick got back in the van and Nick returned with the pizza box. "Take it easy, Kid."

"You, too, Daddy."

"Bye, Finnick."

"Bye, Officer Hopps."

After Finnick drove off, Nick said, "So you want to hold the pizza to warm up your hands?"

"Thank you," she said, taking it.

"I was kidding."

"No, it's all right."

They started walking up the path. She was mostly lost in thought, about friendships and relationships and how predators and prey got along.

"You all right, Fluff?"

"Yeah, just thinking."

"Nothing wrong with that."

She'd half expected him to add something teasing, but he didn't. They walked in silence the rest of the way.

When they got to the cottage, Nick opened the door for her.

She called, "Sharla, we're back!" That was probably obvious but her friend might be in her bedroom or in the bathroom.

There was no answer.

"Maybe she's taking a shower or a nap."

"Right before dinner?"

Nick shrugged. "She's your friend. Don't expect me to explain her. After all, sheep don't usually let me get close to them."

She shook her head and handed him the pizza. "Can you take this into the kitchen?"

"Sure."

She went up to Sharla's room and knocked but there was no answer. She opened the door quietly in case Sharla was napping. But the room was empty. She checked both bathrooms, of course knocking first. She didn't hear any water running, and both rooms were unlocked and unoccupied. Now Judy was puzzled and a little worried.

Nick came out of the kitchen and said, "Uh, Judy, I don't see any sign of your friend."

"I don't either."

"Do you think she's down in the basement?"

"Oh, she might be. Maybe she went to get something out of the freezer as a side dish."

"Or maybe— Never mind."

"What?"

"I was going to make a tasteless joke."

"Oh." She didn't really want to know. "Will you go with me to check?"

Nick looked like he was going to tease her for being afraid of the dark, scary basement but instead he nodded and took her hand. They went over to the door to the basement and she flicked on the light. She was relieved it hadn't burnt out.

The steps were just wide enough for them to walk side by side if they stood close. It had never occurred to Judy before, but this cottage was not designed for large animals. It was a comfortable size for a fox, a sheep, and a rabbit. She wondered whom it belonged to.

"Sharla?" she called.

There was no answer. She didn't see any sign of her friend.

To her surprise, Nick let go of her hand and went over to the very large freezer. He flung open the door then quickly shut it.

"What are you doing?"

He shook his head. "Just checking on the food supply. Although maybe we're almost done here."

"Do you think she ran off? Or was she kidnapped?"

"I'm not sure." He took out his phone.

"Now what are you doing?"

"Checking my email. Hmm, do you think smerino at saigasagas dot com might be her?"

"I thought she was going to forward the hate email and everything after dinner."

"Maybe it's a goodbye message. Let's go back upstairs where the light is better."

"OK."

They went back up and to the living room. They sat next to each other on the couch and Nick opened the message. Judy could see her email address as well as Nick's in the "To" line, so she silently read along:

 _Dear Nick and Judy,_

 _I apologize for leaving without saying goodbye, but this is something I have to do. I want you to read the hate mail before looking for me, but understand that I left of my own free will._

 _—_ _Sharla_

That was it, although Judy could see the paper-clip symbol, so Sharla must've sent the hate mail as an attachment.

She asked, "What should we do now?"

"Would you kill me if I said I'd like to have a couple slices of pizza?"

"Now?"

"Yeah, now. If we read the hate mail, we may lose our appetites. And if we go running after her without eating, we may not get dinner for a long time, especially since we don't know where she went."

Judy sighed. "OK, one slice each."

Nick sighed, too. "Fine. I'll go get the lemonade from the kitchen."


	47. The Monkey & the Crocodile

At times, presence of mind pays well. —Panchatantra Tales

.

"Do you think we should do the dishes?"

"Nick."

"Well, it's just who knows when we'll be coming back, if we are."

"I think the dishes can wait."

"OK." He pulled out his phone. "Do you want to read over my shoulder again?"

"No, I think I'll read it on my phone. And I'm only going to read it because she asked us to and because I don't know where to look for her."

"OK." He opened up Sharla's email message again and clicked on the attachment.

Each piece of hate mail was labeled with where it was sent, the time and day it was sent, and any identifying marks of the sender, like a username. Nick skimmed through the list quickly, figuring it was not really the time to analyze or look for patterns. He did notice that some messages started out calmly talking about the book, while others went straight into a rant. Certain phrases jumped out in their combination of vileness and absurdity, like "I WANT TO BITE YOUR EYES OFF," "Your book is dung and you should eat dung," "I hope you're trampled by a herd of elephants," and "You deserve to burn in a forest fire!" That last one made him a little nervous, considering they were in a forest. Did Sharla get another message that made her think that an arsonist was coming after her?

Judy made a sound of disgust. Then she grumbled, "Why are we wasting out time reading this crap? We need to go get Sharla!"

"Hold on, Fluff. Like you said, we don't know where she went. And maybe there's a reason why she wants us to read these first. So let's—"

"Nick!" She apparently had been skimming as he was talking.

"What?"

"Go to the very last one."

"OK." He scrolled down, skipping over the labels for the moment.

 _I know your secret. I know why you wrote this stupid book. You are a dirty species-mixer. Or maybe you're too scared to mix but you want to. That's even worse! A coward pervert is worse than an honest slut._

"Well, at least that one wasn't threatening her with bodily harm."

Judy shook her head. "Don't you get it?"

"No, sorry, I don't."

"I was sort of pressuring her to go talk to Bobby Catmull. And this animal was sort of daring her to, without realizing it of course. And maybe that's where she went."

"To see Catmull?"

"Yeah!"

"So where is he?"

"Let me think. OK, back when we ran into her at the County Fair, she said something about him."

"Yeah, you asked about him. And she said she heard he became a session musician, somewhere in the City, like she wasn't sure."

"That's right! But it turns out she was in touch with him then, because she told me recently that she told him about running into me at the Fair."

"Hm. And remember her kid brother?"

"Gareth."

"Yeah, he smiled like he knew something you didn't and then he asked her if she'd told us about Chapter Thirteen."

"Wow, you're right! You remember that better than I do."

Nick shrugged. "I've got a good ear for detail. Anyway, he obviously knew about Sharla's crush and was teasing her about it."

"Right. So do you think we should get in touch with Gareth?"

"I don't think we'll have to. We've read the book."

"I don't understand."

He got out his Brindle and pulled up:

 _Chapter One: The Watering Hole_

 _This is where the legends begin, at times indistinguishable from our history._

He showed it to her.

"I still don't understand. Did she go to the Natural History Museum?"

He shook his head and hopped to the end of the chapter to show her that:

 _...From such humble beginnings, where predator and prey peacefully gathered together to slake their thirst, grew the great city of Zootopia. Much has changed in the thousands of years since, but you can take the Animalia Line of the ZTA to its terminus of Watering Hole, now more known for its contributions to the music industry than for liquid refreshment, although there are some popular bars of note._

"He's at the Watering Hole?"

Nick nodded and tapped his nose.

"You are a clever fox."

He shrugged modestly.

"So the Watering Hole is the beginning or the end. That's very writerly of her."

"Yeah. So now the questions are, one, how is she getting there, and two, how long will it take us to catch up with her?"

"Well, she didn't pass us on the path but there may be another way out of this clearing. I assume she was on foot, at least for the first part. And unless she had a vehicle stowed away, or someone with a vehicle met her, then she's probably on the train."

"The good old ZTA. Which is how we'll probably have to get there. Let's see, from Taiga Street, we take the Lavender Line back to Peak Street. Then the Purple Line to Savanna Central, where we transfer to the Magenta Line, which we ride to the end for the Watering Hole. Or you know, it'd be more transfers but fewer stops if we take the Lavender Line in the other direction, transfer to the Purple Line at Crevasse Street, but head North to Glacier Falls, where we catch the Yellow Line and ride that to Savanna Central."

"Or you know, we could ask Finnick for a lift since he seems to be spending a lot of time in Tundratown lately."

Nick smiled. "You are a clever bunny."

She shrugged modestly.

"Can we take the pizza along?" he asked.

"OK, but I'm putting the lemonade back in the fridge."


	48. The Seagull & the Kite

Every man should be content to mind his own business. —Aesop

.

"So you want to tell us why you keep going to Tundratown?"

Judy was surprised that Nick asked straight out like that, but he could be direct at times.

"To chauffeur you two around obviously."

"And don't think we don't appreciate it, Buddy."

Judy hesitated and then decided to be direct, too, even though she didn't know Finnick anywhere near as well as Nick did. "Is it, is it something to do with Mr. Big?"

"Yeah, but not what you're thinkin'."

"But it's legal, right?" Nick said.

"Yeah, very. But you'll take the crap out of me if I tell you."

"Have I ever mocked you?"

Both Finnick and Judy rolled their eyes and then looked at each other and laughed. Finnick sighed and said, "Well, his son-in-law and I might go into a partnership."

"Some kind of business?" Judy asked.

"Not exactly."

Judy and Nick looked at each other and then at Finnick, who was now keeping his eyes on the road. He hesitated and then said, "What would you think about us becoming cops?"

"You and Mr. Petruchio? That'd be wonderful!"

"Wait a minute," Nick said. "What does Mr. Big think of this?"

"Well, see, that's the thing. He might have to go straight if his son-in-law is a cop. It's bad enough his granddaughter's godmother is one."

"Is he going to?" Judy hoped he would. Not only would that mean less crime, but she had a personal interest in not being connected to a mobster, fond as she was of Mr. Big and his family.

"Well, I've been talking to him. He probably will, but he's got some jobs to finish up. It's not like just hanging up a 'GOING OUT OF BUSINESS' sign you know."

"Yeah," Judy said quietly, a little worried about the jobs Mr. Big had to finish up. Still, this sounded like a good thing.

"It might be interesting having another fox on the force. And a shrew."

"Yeah, we heard about the Small Mammal Inclusion Act, and I know you and the rabbit can't cover Little Rodentia like we could."

"True. I guess Bogo will have to find us another beat."

"As long as it's not parking duty," Judy sighed, making the foxes laugh, although she hadn't meant to be funny.

"Hey, who wants more pizza?" Nick asked, opening the box on his lap.

"None for me," Judy said. She had too much on her mind to eat right then.

"I'll take a slice if the rabbit will feed it to me. I need two paws on the wheel going through downtown."

"Uh, OK." She was sitting in the middle in the front seat of Finnick's van.

Nick handed her a slice and she held it so that Finnick could take a bite.

"Thanks, Rabbit."

"You know why he's doing this, don't you?" Nick asked.

"Shut up, Wilde."

Nick of course didn't shut up. "He loves the idea of a female, especially my girlfriend, waiting on him. Either that or it's because you're a cop."

"Or I can't hold pizza and drive to wherever the hell we're going."

"The Watering Hole," Judy said.

"Are you gonna be more specific by the time we get there?"

"Oh, um." Judy had never been there and she had no idea where specifically to look for Bobby Catmull.

Nick took out his phone. "I've got it."

"Another bite please, Officer Hopps."

She held the pizza by Finnick's mouth again.

"Thnks, Rbbt," he said with his mouth full.

Nick was typing on his phone. "Let's see, Catmull, session musician. What instrument does he play?"

"Catsio," Judy said quickly.

"Do they even still make those?" Nick asked.

Finnick swallowed. "Put keyboards. Another bite please."

Judy obliged, then said, "Also one of those big drums that are like hemispheres."

"Kettle drums?"

"I think so. And the piano, which is also keyboards I guess. Oh, and the space flute."

"What the hell is a space flute?" Nick demanded.

"You know, one of those flutes that make 'woooo-oooo' sounds."

Nick shook his head but typed something in. After awhile, he said, "OK, here's what I found. Catmull freelances but he mostly works for Pony Music and I've got the address for their recording studio."

"Do you think he'd still be there in the evening?" Judy asked.

"Yeah, musicians are night animals, although cougars usually aren't. But it's not that late in the evening and I say we at least swing by and see if we can find out his home address or what bars he hangs out in or whatever."

"Why would he be in a bar?"

She caught the two foxes exchanging amused smiles. She frowned. "I'm not being naive. He didn't drink in high school or anything."

"Yeah, well, he's a grown-up musician now. He might hang out in bars a little."

"I guess." It was hard to picture though. She did realize that he was sort of fixed in time for her, as Sharla had been until they ran into each other.

She wondered what would happen when they got to the studio. Would Sharla have already come and gone? What if he rejected her? Would she have run off in tears? Judy hoped Sharla wouldn't do anything desperate. Well, more desperate than running off from the safehouse.

She tried to be optimistic, although she was out of practice lately. Maybe Bobby returned Sharla's feelings. Maybe the three of them would walk in on a romantic moment. She hoped their timing wouldn't be too bad. She snickered, imagining her and the foxes walking in on the cougar and the sheep kissing.

"What?" Nick asked.

"Nothing," she said, and held the pizza slice for Finnick to take another bite.


	49. The Ant & the Chrysalis

Appearances are deceptive. —Aesop

.

Nick and Judy flashed their badges at the receptionist, explained that they didn't want to arrest Mr. Catmull but just wanted to talk to him regarding a case, and got directions to the studio he was working late in. Finnick was waiting outside in the van.

As they went down the hallway, Judy asked, "Should we have asked if a ewe came by earlier?"

Nick shook his head. "I think if anyone else was visiting him, the receptionist would've said something, or her body language would've given it away."

Judy nodded. "That makes sense. What if Sharla hasn't gotten here yet but is on her way? Or what if she's not even headed here but someplace else?"

"We'll play it by ear."

They found the right door and then she whispered, "Should we knock? Or would that disturb them?"

He quietly opened the door. The only animal around was a cougar, presumably Catmull. He was wearing headphones and sitting in front of a computer. Nick nudged Judy to go over and say hello.

"I don't want to startle him," she whispered.

"It'll be fine. I'm sure he's used to being interrupted."

She hesitated and then went over so that she was in the cougar's peripheral view. She waved.

The cougar took off his headphones and smiled. "Judy Hopps?"

"Yeah. Bobby Catmull? I mean Bob."

"It's fine, you can call me Bobby."

"Thanks."

"So what brings you by?"

Well, obviously Sharla hadn't gotten there yet. Or maybe she'd already left, but Catmull didn't associate Judy with Sharla to the extent he'd expect Judy to show up the same evening. Nick and Judy weren't in their police uniforms, so Catmull wasn't reacting to them like cops.

"Um, it's about Sharla."

"Sharla?"

"Sharla Merino."

"Oh, right, we went to school together."

Nick guessed Sharla hadn't contacted him about her crush. And Nick had the feeling Catmull didn't share Sharla's feelings.

"That's right."

"Yeah, I've been in touch with her a little the past few years, but I've got so many friends on social media, it's hard to keep track."

"Oh. But you remember me?"

"Everyone remembers you, Judy. Especially since you did become the first bunny cop."

"Oh, I see."

Nick decided to speed this along. "Have you heard that Sharla wrote a book?"

"Yeah, I think someone was mentioning it to me recently. It's kind of controversial, right?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"This is my partner, Nick Wilde, by the way."

"Nice to meet you."

Nick and Bobby shook hands, as Nick said, "You, too."

"Um, we're here because of Sharla's book," Judy said. Catmull looked puzzled, so Judy continued, "You see, one of the things it's about is interspecies relationships."

"Is that why it's controversial?"

"Yes, partly. But anyway, she drops hints that she's interested in having an interspecies relationship herself."

"Cool. I'm all for that."

"Even if it's with you?"

"Nick!"

"Sorry, Fluff, but this is no time to pussyfoot about. Uh, no offense, Buddy."

"None taken. Wow, so Sharla's interested in me?"

"Yes, she, well, she's had a crush on you for years, although I only recently found that out. And, well, I encouraged her to tell you sometime, but it looks like she's planning to tell you tonight and, well, it's a long story but we're supposed to be protecting her from hostile online harassers, and she just took off and, well, so that's why we're here."

"Oh. Well, I haven't seen her, yet. Do you think she's on her way?"

"She might be. We came by van and she's probably taking the train, so we may've arrived too early."

"But as long as we're here, we figured we may as well give you a head's up," Nick said.

"Thanks," Bobby said quietly.

"Are you, well, how do you feel about this?" Judy said.

"A little stunned. Flattered. But, wow, I mean, I'm totally pro-mixed-relationships, even pred-prey, but me and Sharla?"

"She's not your type?" Nick asked.

"Well, no, not exactly."

"Because she's a ewe?"

"Sort of. I mean, if she were a ram, I might go for her."

Nick and Judy looked at each other and nodded slowly.

Then Judy looked at Bobby and said, "You're gay?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, well, that's nice. I mean, too bad for Sharla, but maybe it'll hurt less when you reject her."

"Do I have to? I mean, couldn't you tell her? She's very sweet and I don't want to hurt her feelings."

"I think it has to come from you."

Bobby nodded. "I guess so."

"So, um, are you seeing anyone?" Judy asked.

"Yeah, it's nothing serious yet, since we just met recently, but yeah. He's a cop like you, but at the front desk. I think he's at your precinct."

"CLAWHAUSER IS GAY?"

Nick managed not to laugh.

"Um, yeah, I thought that he was out. I mean, he's kind of on the queeny side."

"But he worships Gazelle!"

"Who doesn't?"

"I don't," Nick said quietly.

"Have you recorded with her?" Judy asked, suddenly going fangirly.

"Yeah, a couple times. Ben was impressed by that of course." Bobby smiled.

"Is she as nice as she seems?"

"Yeah, she's pretty nice. Not a diva anyway."

"Which songs did you do?"

"Well, I got to do keyboards on 'Try Everything.' "

"Oh, wow!"

"Um, Carrots, what are we going to do about Sharla?"

"Oh, right, sorry. I guess we should go wait in the van and see if she shows up. And then we can either talk to her before she goes in, or comfort her when she comes out."

"I won't be too brutal, I promise."

"Thank you, Bobby."

"N.p. Oh, and I'll send you a friend invitation if that's OK, and we can catch up online."

"Absolutely." She took out her phone. "In fact, let me—" Her phone rang. "Oh, I'd better get this in case it's Sharla." She pressed her phone but held it so Nick could see and hear, too. "Hello, this is Judy Hopps."

"O. M. Goodness, Judy! Are you and Nick OK?"

"Clawhauser?"

"Yeah. What about the sheep you were guarding, is she OK?"

"Um, I think so." Judy obviously didn't want to tell him that Sharla had disappeared.

"You think so?"

"Clawhauser, what happened?" Nick asked.

"You don't know?"

"Um, no, maybe you could tell us."

"Someone set the safehouse on fire!"

"WHAT?" Nick and Judy shouted. And Catmull went from looking amused that his casual boyfriend had called Judy to looking concerned about Sharla.

"The fire department is on their way. Do you think anyone was inside?"

"No, we'd all cleared out," Nick said.

"Well, good. I just had to check on you."

"Do they know who started it?" Judy asked.

"No, it's too soon. Do you guys have any suspects?"

"No, not really," Nick said, although he wondered about the harasser who had mentioned a forest fire.

"Well, I'll call you again when I find out more."

"Thanks, Clawhauser," Judy said and ended the call.

"I really hope that sheep is on her way here to get her heart broken and didn't go back to the safehouse to get a sweater."

Judy shook her head. This time her "Nick" was a quieter scolding.

"Listen, should I keep her here if she does show up?" Catmull asked.

"I don't know," Judy said. "It was our job to guard her and we failed."

"Fluff, we can't guard someone if they don't cooperate. Give Catmull your number and he can let us know if he sees her. We need to go check out the fire."

"Are you sure?" Judy looked both confused and drained.

"Yeah, there might be clues to who the arsonist is."

"OK." She shook herself, as if trying to pull herself together. Then she gave the cougar her number.

"Good luck," Bobby said.

"You, too," Nick said.

He and Judy said goodbye and went back outside, but the van was nowhere in sight.


	50. The Four Oxen & the Lion

United we stand, divided we fall. —Aesop

.

"Where the hell is Finnick?" Nick snapped.

"Maybe something came up and he had to go."

"He could've called. Or texted." Nick took out his phone and quickly did both, but there was no immediate reply.

"Never mind that," Judy said. "Let's head for the train station."

"You want to take trains all the way back to Taiga Street?"

"No, I was thinking we could get our cruiser downtown."

"Ah. And do you want to explain to Bogo why we need our cruiser and why we're on the completely opposite end of Zootopia from where we're supposed to be?"

She sighed and got out her ZTA card. Yes, she still had enough on it to get back to Taiga.

They were at Elm Street when Finnick called Nick. When Nick answered, the two foxes snapped at each other, "Where the hell are you?"

Then Nick said, "Judy and I are on a train heading back to the safehouse. And you?"

"I'm taking a distraught sheep to a safer safehouse."

"Is Sharla there?" Judy said, grabbing the phone from Nick.

"Yeah, she's here. Hold on."

"Judy, why did you two run off?"

"Us? Put Finnick back on."

"OK."

"Finnick, where did you disappear to?"

"I just went to get a cup of coffee a block away," he said wearily.

"Why did you take the van? Couldn't you have walked a block?"

"Finnick, never goes anywhere without his van."

"I heard that. Put Nick back on."

Judy handed Nick the phone.

"You went to get coffee, didn't you?" Judy didn't hear Finnick's reply but Nick said, "Yeah, we could've waited for you but the safehouse is on fire. Oh, you heard."

Judy grabbed the phone again. "How do you know about the fire? We just found out!"

"Here, Sheep, you'd better take this."

"Hello, Judy?"

"Sharla, what do you know about the fire?"

"Oh, Judy, I got another threatening message!"

"What? When?"

"About half an hour after I left the cottage."

"Sharla, why did you leave? Was it to see Bobby?"

"Ask her how she left without us seeing her," Nick said.

"Listen, I'll explain everything when we meet up with you guys."

"Meet up with us?"

"Yes, what's your next stop?"

"Savanna Central."

"Perfect! See you soon." And then she clicked off Finnick's phone.

Judy looked at Nick and they both shook their heads.

"I am so confused."

"And you heard more of that conversation than I did."

"Yeah." She filled Nick in on what he'd missed.

Then he asked, "So do you think the threatening message was from the arsonist?"

"It must've been."

"Did Sharla sound distraught?"

"Not really. A little upset maybe."

"About Bobby or the fire?"

"Well, we didn't talk about Bobby."

"I guess that makes sense. Oh, here's our stop."

Instead of having to decide among the three lines they could transfer to in order to work their way back to Taiga, they instead got off the train and looked for Finnick's van in the parking lot. It was waiting for them, and it was obviously hard to miss. They raced over.

Judy climbed in on the passenger's side, and sat next to Sharla. Nick climbed in right after her and closed the door as soon as they were buckled up. Then Finnick gunned the engine.

"What's going on?" all four of them asked at once, and then laughed, although it wasn't really a funny situation.

"I'll start," Sharla said. "I'm very sorry about running off like that. I know it was a crazy thing to do, especially with how it turned out."

"Hey, better to get your heart broken than fried," Finnick said.

She didn't look offended. "True. But I had no idea that someone would set the cottage on fire, and by the time I got the message, I had to hope that you two were following me. Well, you three as it turned out."

Judy wasn't sure what to ask next, because she had so many questions, but Nick said, "How did you get out of the cottage and down to Taiga Street without us seeing you?"

"Well, I didn't. I mean, not to Taiga Street. I took the Underground."

"The Underground?" Judy asked, puzzled.

"Yes, well, I never told you, but that cottage belongs to my publisher, Ms. Steppe, and her family used it as a safehouse back in the collaring days, as a place for predators to hide out before they could sneak out of Zootopia to places where preds didn't have to wear collars. And there was an underground tunnel, connected to the basement."

"We didn't see any tunnel," Nick pointed out.

"It's under the freezer."

"You moved that big freezer by yourself?" Judy was impressed. Sharla didn't look that strong, but appearances can be deceiving.

Sharla laughed again. "No, there's a trap door near the freezer. You go through the trap door, under the freezer, and then into the tunnel."

"Oh."

"And then what?" Nick asked. "You get into a giant catapult?"

"No, there was a motorcycle stowed down there. I rode it to and through the Nocturnal District."

"Oh. Was that safe?" Judy asked.

"Safer than taking the above-ground route. And then I emerged back on the surface level when I got to Savanna Central."

"What about the arsonist's message?" Nick asked.

"Here." She held out her phone so Nick and Judy could read it.

It was addressed to her email address at saigasagas dot com and it said, _You deserve to burn for what you wrote and I'm going to make sure you do. It's too late to run, Little Sheep, because I'll set the whole forest on fire so you won't live to see the sun rise."_

"Charming," Nick observed.

Sharla set the phone down in her lap. "By that point, I was already on my way, and I had to hope you two had gone after me. Which luckily you did."

"But why not come back? Or call me?"

"Well, I didn't want to come back to a house on fire. And it was possible it was an empty threat. Besides, I thought if I called you, you'd try to stop me. And I had to find out for myself how Bob felt about me." She sniffled a little.

Without a word, Finnick took one paw off the wheel, reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, which he handed to Sharla.

"Thanks, Sherm."

Nick and Judy looked at each other in amazement, especially since Finnick didn't make any objection to the nickname. And Judy hadn't even heard him called Sherman at this point.

"I'm sorry, Sharla," Judy said, patting Sharla's hoof that wasn't dabbing her eyes with the handkerchief.

"Thanks, Judy. I was such a fool! But it may've saved my life."

"Mine and Judy's, too," Nick pointed out.

"Yes. So, let's see. I got to the studio but before I could go in, Sherman came over and said, 'You the sheep with the crush?' "

Now both Judy and Nick laughed.

"He can be very direct," Judy said.

"Yeah, well, it didn't seem the time to pussyfoot around," Finnick said. "Pardon the expression."

"You had dogged determination," Sharla said, and then to Judy's surprise, both Sharla and Finnick laughed.

"Um, just a reminder, we're trying to solve an arson case," Nick said.

"Right, sorry. So I had no idea who he was, and I was kind of worried he was one of my harassers, since, well, he has a deep, scary voice."

"But then I told her I was a friend of Nick's and explained why I was there. I thought you guys were still inside, talking to the cougar."

Judy said, "We were probably on the train by then."

"Yeah, but I didn't know that because I hadn't checked my messages. Anyway, I told her about you guys following her, except getting there ahead of her, and she was relieved because of the arson message. And she decided go in and talk to Catmull before getting in touch with the rabbit."

"So I did and, well, Bob was very sweet about it, but he's gay."

Nick said, "Yeah, he told us."

"And you didn't wait for me?" Sharla said.

"We didn't know what to do because we got a call about the fire."

"Right. Bob told me that. And he was willing to keep me safe at the studio, but obviously it was very awkward for me."

"So I told her I'd take her to Mr. Big and he'd look after her. And since I'm heading to Tundratown anyway, I'll drop you two off near the safehouse."

"Well, thank you." Judy was trying to process all this. She wanted to comfort Sharla more about Bobby, but her friend was less upset than she'd expected. And she seemed to have clicked with Finnick, and Judy was eager to find out more about that, but obviously she couldn't ask in front of Finnick, or even in front of Nick. And of course there was the raging fire at the safehouse!

"What was the arsonist's email address?" Nick asked.

"Oh, I didn't even look. Hold on."

Sharla handed the handkerchief back to Finnick and picked up her phone again, while Nick got out his phone and brought up the attachment with the hate mail. Judy didn't want to look at it again but she knew she had to. It was her job. So she waited till Nick scrolled down to the "forest fire" message. And then the sheep and the red fox held their phones so that Judy could see both.

"It's the same!" Judy exclaimed. "purified_waiter at houyhnhnm dot com. I assume that's a typo for 'water,' or a pun. Maybe the arsonist works in a restaurant, or is waiting for something."

" 'Houyhnhnm,' " Nick repeated. "Where have I heard that before?"

" _Gringolet's Travels_ ," Sharla said instantly, but then she was an English major.

"Is that the one where the horse sails to all kinds of weird countries?" Finnick asked.

"Yes, and the last voyage is to a land where horses are beasts instead of sapient beings. And there are weird hairless apes called Yahoos, but they're superior to the Houyhnhnms, their term for horses."

"Wow, do you think the arsonist is a horse?" Judy said.

"Well, whoever they are," Nick said very seriously, "they're clearly unstable."

The other three groaned.


	51. Snip, Snap

They all fell silent as they neared Taiga Street. They could see the burning forest, as well as the fire trucks at the foot of the hill.

Then Finnick said, "Is this close enough?"

Nick said, "Yeah. Thanks, Buddy. We'll be in touch."

The girls hugged each other and then Nick and Judy got out of the van.

After the van drove off, Nick asked, "Do you think our stuff is OK?"

"Oh, I hadn't even thought of that! And all those things Sharla knitted."

"Good thing I took the pizza. It would be burnt by now."

Judy shook her head but she said, "Thank you for your stupid jokes. They help."

"Uh, you're welcome."

"Come on, let's get closer and see what we can find out."

He nodded. Nick had never really thought about it, but there were a lot of elephants and giraffes in the fire department. This made sense because they could reach higher stories, and the elephants' trunks were an alternative to hoses.

The fire chief was a spotted dog, however. He gruffly said hello when Nick and Judy came over. They flashed their badges.

"Oh, right. You were the ones guarding the safehouse."

Judy looked self-conscious. "We had to protect the animal being hidden."

"Hey, it's fine. You're not fire fighters, although it would've been nice if you had prevented the fire."

Judy looked like she didn't know what to say.

Nick asked, "Do you know anything about who set it?"

"No, right now we're just trying to contain it."

"OK. Well, can you let us know if you find anything?"

"Like your personal belongings?"

"Uh, no, like clues. Well, belongings would be good, too."

"Yeah, we'll be in touch."

"Thanks, Buddy."

Nick and Judy walked back to where Finnick had dropped them off.

"Um, what did that accomplish?"

Nick shrugged. "Well, we know that they don't know anything. And we sort of do. And we know that they're dealing with the fire, which is their job."

"And it's our job to solve the crime?"

"Yeah, I think we should."

"OK, do you think it's a horse?"

"Or someone who wants us to think it's a horse."

"Right. So what if it's just a coincidence? Like the arsonist isn't one of the harassers."

"It's possible. The thing is, we can't really go after the online scum. That's not a crime unless it's got follow-through to real life. But arson is arson, even if it came out of nowhere."

She nodded. "OK, let's go to the houyhnhnm website and at least see what it's like."

He got out his phone and typed in the address. He held his phone so she could see.

"Oh deer," she said.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

The banner across the top said _PUREBRED IN A HYBRID WORLD_. And there were articles about how important it was for horses to mate with their own types.

"Nick, this is beyond not mixing the species. This is even against mixing breeds!"

"Yeah, Fluff, this is extreme."

"Look at the links and the webring. They're all anti-cross-breed, but for different species."

"Yeah, the fire chief over there? He looks Bodacious."

"Huh?"

"Border Collie/Dalmatian mix. They would not like that."

"Right. So we need to contact the ZBI and turn this over to them."

"Do we have to?" he asked, trying not to whine.

"Yeah, Nick, we do. It's their job."

He sighed. "OK. So what's next?"

"Well, I guess we report to Bogo and then we go home and get some rest."

"Uh, shouldn't we go shopping to replace our clothes and everything that's probably burned to a crisp?"

"Ah, right."

"Maybe Bogo can give us a voucher, since we lost them in the line of duty."

"He'll probably make us fill out a report first."

"Right. Well, we'll go shopping tomorrow then. Or whenever. We've still got stuff at home, right?"

"Right. And, um, Nick, would you like to go back to the Rainforest District this weekend? My treat."

He grinned. "I would definitely like that, thank you."

"Good. Should we try to get a lift back downtown with Finnick?"

"Nah, we can take the train. We're not in a big hurry, right?"

"Right." She took his paw. "Let's go."

He looked down at their paws. "You're not worried about being publicly affectionate? Especially with how things are now?"

"Nick, I'm always going to worry. But we can't let that stop us. Things are only going to change if mixed couples don't hide away."

He nodded. And then he knew what he had to do but this wasn't the right setting. So he and the bunny he loved rode the Lavender Line to the Purple Line, getting off at the stop nearest to their police station. They reported to their chief, who scolded them for going rogue again, and then praised them for cracking the case as much as they had. Then they talked to Tatarica Steppe, who said that the cottage was insured but she was sad to lose a house with so much history, although she was pleased that Sharla was safe and they had a lead on the culprit. Then they talked to Finnick and Sharla, who were about to have dinner with Mr. Big. And then they went home.

There was a note on Judy's door. She let Nick read over her shoulder.

 _Hey Bunny (and Fox),_

 _I don't know when you're getting back from your big case, but I wanted you to know that Bucky is out of the hospital. We're going to stay with my mom for a few days. Yeah, I know, she doesn't totally accept us but she does feel sorry for us. And she lives out in the country, in Podunk (that's in Deerbrooke County), and I think that the fresh air and all will be good for Bucky. Anyway, you two have a chance for a little privacy, so enjoy._

 _Later,_  
 _Pronk_

When Nick looked at Judy, she was blushing.

"You want to enjoy some 'privacy'?" he teased.

She nodded and unlocked her apartment door.

...

Half an hour later, Nick murmured, "I love you, Fluff."

"I love you so much, Nick!" she whispered.

"Then maybe it's time we..."

"Move in together?"

"I was gonna suggest get engaged, but we could do that, too."

"Nick, are you proposing? For real?"

"Yeah. Unless my timing is bad."

"It's perfect. Oh, Nick!"

Half an hour after that, he teased, "Well, I guess this is one way to break your lease."

"I love your stupid jokes!"

"Show me how much you love them, Carrots."

So she did.

SNIP, SNAP, SNOUT, THIS TALE'S TOLD OUT.


End file.
